A spate of gunfire and arson across Brussels has prompted urgent calls for reinforced law enforcement, with Saint-Gilles Mayor Jean Spinette demanding 80 additional federal judicial police officers to tackle what he described as rivalry between drug dealers.
The violence escalated over the weekend. On Friday night, masked individuals riddled a police station facade with gunfire in Anderlecht, drawing condemnation from Interior Minister Bernard Quintin. On Saturday evening, a man was shot in the leg at Place des Deux Bancs, a known drug-dealing hotspot. Hours later, a stray bullet from a second shooting on Chaussée de Forest pierced a bedroom window, narrowly missing a sleeping resident. Separately, two cars were set ablaze in what Spinette called intimidation between rival gangs.
Prosecutor Julien Moinil is expected to hold a press briefing in the coming days.