Belgium. Van rushing on a terrace in Brussels: the terrorist track dismissed

The driver of the van which hit a terrace in the center of Brussels on Friday, causing six minor injuries, was indicted for attempted murder and placed under an arrest warrant. « The terrorist track has been ruled out, » the local prosecutor’s office said on Saturday.

Shortly before 1 p.m., a van drove at high speed towards a terrace on rue Saint-Michel, in the busy historic center of the city, hit it before fleeing, according to the police. Six people with minor injuries were treated at the scene.

Little information on the profile of the suspect

Quickly identified, a suspect was arrested in Antwerp (north) at the end of the day. The Brussels public prosecutor’s office has for the time being refused to provide information on the profile of this indicted suspect. A chamber of the court will decide on Thursday on the extension of the preventive detention of the man.

Initially, on Friday evening, the prosecution had not ruled out the possibility of a terrorist act, indicating that « the various tracks were open ». Following the incident, the body responsible for analyzing the terrorist threat in Belgium (OCAM) raised its alert level from 2 to 3 for a few hours for frequented places in Brussels before lowering it. due to reassuring elements » in the ongoing investigation.