Belgian and French police prevent kidnapping and suspected torture
The Belgian and French police and judiciary recently saved a person from Braine-l'Alleud from being kidnapped and presumably tortured. The police prevented "an act of unprecedented violence", the Brussels public prosecutor's office said on Wednesday.
The BRI (Brigade de recherche et d'intervention) from Versailles, France, received extremely disturbing information last Saturday, the Brussels prosecutor's office said. "According to this information, a certain vehicle could be used in the near future to commit an act of violence against one or more as yet unidentified persons."
Having established that the vehicle was heading for Brussels and fearing that the possible victims might live there, the Brussels public prosecutor's office immediately launched an investigation with the public prosecutor of the municipality of Pontoise.
This led to a "disturbing localisation" in Braine-l'Alleud on the night of Sunday to Monday, according to the prosecutor's office. "At around 5.40 a.m., just before the arrival of the suspicious persons and vehicles, the special units intercepted them. During this operation, the investigators found material at the scene to imprison and torture people."
10 suspects
In total, special units of the Federal Police intercepted 10 suspects on Monday. Nine of them were arrested, while the 10th, a minor, was referred to the juvenile court.
According to Het Nieuwsblad, the suspects wanted to kidnap a wealthy resident of the Walloon community and torture him in order to obtain as high a ransom as possible.
The Brussels public prosecutor's office said that thanks to the cooperation between the Belgian and French judicial and police authorities, "an act of unprecedented violence" had been prevented.
© BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS
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