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| Europe |
| Belgian police kill man suspected of terror links |
| 2013-03-27 |
| BRUSSELS: Belgian police shot dead a man of Algerian origin suspected of terrorist links after a motorway pursuit Tuesday, moving in after an investigation that was triggered by a tip-off from French officials. In a statement issued early Wednesday, French Interior Minister Manuel Valls praised Belgium for its anti-terrorism cooperation. The shoot-out took place in the early afternoon on the motorway linking the capital Brussels and the southern city of Tournai as police chased the man down, the Belga news agency reported. The suspect was a known figure in the Brussels criminal underworld, said Tournai prosecutor Marie-Claude Maertens, the agency reported. When police decided to move in to arrest him, he refused repeated calls to stop and then drove at police officers, opening fire at them. The police fired back, fatally wounding him, she added. Later Tuesday, the federal prosecutors office told reporters that Belgian investigators had opened their investigation into the the 30-year-old man in response to two French requests for information about him late last year. French investigators had said they suspected he belonged to a criminal gang with terrorist ties. The Belgian investigation established that the man was buying military equipment including weapons, bullet-proof clothing and telescopic sights. After police linked him to an armed robbery at a restaurant in Brussels last Thursday, they decided to move in and arrest him. Following the motorway shoot-out, police searched the suspect's home in Anderlecht, a suburb of Brussels. There, they found weapons, ammunition and explosives. Police will display the arsenal they found at the suspect's flat on Wednesday. Officers also arrested a woman and were questioning her Tuesday night, Belga reported. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #2 But, but, but, how is this possible? It's illegal for non-police to own guns in |
| Posted by: Barbara 2013-03-27 10:55 |
| #1 I demand ICC investigation! |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2013-03-27 08:46 |