Third suspect arrested over Clemenceau metro shooting
A third suspect was arrested on Thursday in connection with the shooting that took place at the Clemenceau metro station in Anderlecht on 5 February. The shooting was the first of several that shocked the Brussels region last month.
An investigating judge has placed the 19-year-old suspect under arrest, the Brussels prosecutor's office said on Friday. Two other suspects arrested earlier remain in custody.
Footage showed gunmen opening fire with automatic rifles in front of the station
The shooting took place near the metro station at around 6.00 on Wednesday 5 February. Security camera footage and images posted on social media showed at least two, but possibly five, gunmen opening fire with automatic rifles in the square in front of the station.
Unidentified persons firing automatic weapons outside the Clemenceau metro station on Wednesday morning, 5 February 2025 © BELGA VIDEO HANDOUT
Manhunt in metro tunnels
At least some of the perpetrators fled through the metro tunnels, leading to a large-scale manhunt in the tunnels by the federal police's special intervention units that disrupted metro and tram services for hours.
Several house searches were carried out the following day, during which weapons were confiscated and a first suspect was arrested. On 20 February, a second series of searches took place and another suspect was arrested.
Recognised during check
"On 6 March 2025, at around 17.42, the police services of the Midi zone questioned two persons on the Chaussée de Forest in Saint-Gilles," said Willemien Baert, spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office.
February saw a series of shootings in the Brussels region as part of a territorial dispute between drug gangs
"During this check, the police inspectors recognised one of the two people as a person who had been flagged in the investigation into the shooting near the Clemenceau metro station on 5 February 2025," Baert said. "This person, a 19-year-old man, was transferred to the investigating judge, who questioned him today and placed him under arrest.
February saw a series of shootings in the Brussels region as part of a territorial dispute between drug gangs, including two others at the same metro station. The shootings left two people dead and two others injured.
Police outside a cordoned-off Clemenceau metro station on 5 February 2025 © BELGA PHOTO JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE
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