13.10.2026 23:30
A murder investigation has been launched for the police officer killed in the line of duty in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, and multiple people have been detained. A separate investigation was opened after drugs were found in the hijacked vehicle.
The killing of a police officer in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, has brought the city's security problems back onto the agenda as it struggles with armed attacks and drug-related violence.
INVESTIGATION INTO POLICE MURDER
Brussels Prosecutor Julien Moinil, at a press conference held after a police officer was killed in the line of duty in the city that hosts European Union (EU) institutions and NATO, announced that a murder investigation had been launched into the incident and that several people had been detained.
Moinil reported that a police officer was shot in the head and killed during an operation targeting a vehicle hijacked by armed individuals.
Noting that drugs were also found in the vehicle, Moinil said a separate investigation had been opened into this matter.
Emphasizing that the investigation is ongoing, Moinil did not share further information about the suspects.
Brussels Mayor Philippe Close also stated that police officers take risks every day to ensure the safety of others, and said that the public must not forget this responsibility of public officials.
ARMED ATTACKS AND DRUG-RELATED VIOLENCE
Brussels has come to the agenda in recent years with incidents of armed violence linked to drug trafficking and gang feuds.
According to federal police data, in the first seven months of 2026, 57 armed attacks were recorded in the capital's 19 municipalities; 2 people lost their lives and 21 people were injured in these incidents.
In the entire year of 2025 in the city, 8 people died and 43 people were injured in 101 armed attacks.
In August, armed incidents in the Saint-Gilles, Anderlecht and Molenbeek districts left some people injured, and a police station in Anderlecht was fired upon with a Kalashnikov-type weapon.
After successive armed attacks occurred within a few days in Saint-Gilles, local authorities called for stronger measures against drug-related violence.
It is stated that some of the cocaine brought into the country through the Port of Antwerp, one of Europe's important drug entry points, reaches distribution networks in and around Brussels.