Friday, April 25, 2025
9:28 AM
Doha,Qatar
The burnt car used to ram raid the National Institute for Criminalistics and Criminology

Belgium arrests five suspects after crime lab blast

Belgian police have arrested five suspects after a blast on Monday at the country's national crime lab just north of Brussels caused major damage but no casualties, prosecutors said.

They said there was no immediate reason to believe there was any terror link -- Belgium is still on high alert after deadly Islamic State-claimed attacks in March -- and it could easily be a case of criminals trying to destroy evidence.

Press reports say a car was rammed through the gates and into the building which was set on fire, leading to several explosions in the lab.
"Five people were arrested in the immediate neighbourhood... They are currently being questioned to see if they had any role in the incident," Ine Van Wymersch, a spokeswoman for the Brussels' prosecutor's office, told a press briefing.
"The possibility of a terrorist act is not confirmed," Van Wymersch said in a separate statement.
"It goes without saying that several individuals may have wanted to destroy evidence... An investigation is underway and several lines of inquiry are being considered," the statement said.
The blast happened in the early hours of Monday at the national criminology institute in Neder-Over-Hembeek, just north of Brussels.
Van Wymersch said the crime lab, which gathers and analyses evidence, "was not chosen by chance; it is an important part of the justice department and deals with sensitive information in connection with several ongoing cases."
She said witnesses reported hearing several explosions but it was not yet clear how these were caused.

Comments
  • There are no comments.

Add Comments

B1Details

Latest News

SPORT

Canada's youngsters set stage for new era

Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when you are saying farewell to those that have left a positive impression. That was the case earlier this month when Canada hosted Mexico in a friendly at BC Place stadium in Vancouver.

1:43 PM February 26 2017
TECHNOLOGY

A payment plan for universal education

Some 60mn primary-school-age children have no access to formal education

11:46 AM December 14 2016
CULTURE

10-man Lekhwiya leave it late to draw Rayyan 2-2

Lekhwiya’s El Arabi scores the equaliser after Tresor is sent off; Tabata, al-Harazi score for QSL champions

7:10 AM November 26 2016
ARABIA

Yemeni minister hopes 48-hour truce will be maintained

The Yemeni Minister of Tourism, Dr Mohamed Abdul Majid Qubati, yesterday expressed hope that the 48-hour ceasefire in Yemen declared by the Command of Coalition Forces on Saturday will be maintained in order to lift the siege imposed on Taz City and ease the entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged

10:30 AM November 27 2016
ARABIA

QM initiative aims to educate society on arts and heritage

Some 200 teachers from schools across the country attended Qatar Museum’s (QM) first ever Teachers Council at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) yesterday.

10:55 PM November 27 2016
ARABIA

Qatar, Indonesia to boost judicial ties

The Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC) of Qatar and the Indonesian Supreme Court (SCI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on judicial co-operation, it was announced yesterday.

10:30 AM November 28 2016
ECONOMY

Sri Lanka eyes Qatar LNG to fuel power plants in ‘clean energy shift’

Sri Lanka is keen on importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar as part of government policy to shift to clean energy, Minister of City Planning and Water Supply Rauff Hakeem has said.

10:25 AM November 12 2016
B2Details
C7Details