Drug violence
The 53-year-old woman and the 21-year-old man who were arrested on Tuesday for the attack in Merksem that killed 11-year-old Firdaous have been arrested. The mother of the deceased girl calls their arrest in an open letter “a ray of hope in the midst of my deep sadness.”
53-year-old Daniëlle R. from Putte and 21-year-old Yassine A. from Brussels were interrogated by the police on Tuesday for their possible involvement in the death of eleven-year-old Firdaous from Merksem. Now the investigating judge has also arrested them on suspicion of murder and triple attempted murder. This is reported by the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office.
During the attack on January 9, 2023, the perpetrators targeted the garage door of a house in Merksem with a Kalashnikov. Behind that gate was a living space. One of the bullets hit the family’s eleven-year-old daughter. Firdaous died from her injuries. Her 58-year-old father and her two sisters were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
DNA on bullet casing
The police immediately linked the attack to the drug environment: after all, one of Firdaous’s uncles is drug smuggler Othman El Ballouti. Daniëlle R. from Putte, who has now been arrested for the murder, already came into the picture in another investigation into violence in the criminal environment, according to the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office. She also spent time in jail last year.
R.’s DNA was found on one of the five bullet casings recovered after the attack, the public prosecutor’s office reports. “She says she knows nothing about that murder,” her lawyer Tessa De Cuis told Gazet van Antwerpen. “She does not know the other arrested suspect.”
The public prosecutor’s office does not want to say for the time being what the second suspect, Yassine A., has to do with the case. “He shouts out his innocence and says he had nothing to do with it,” says his lawyer Tanja Smit in Gazet van Antwerpen.
The investigation continues, also into other possible persons involved in the attack.
Indelible scar
Firdaous’ mother responded to the two arrests in an open letter. The news that the possible perpetrators have been arrested has “released a whirlwind of emotions,” the mother writes. “While this news appears to be a step toward justice, I realize that no outcome will heal these deep wounds. The loss of my beloved daughter has left an indelible scar that will never fade. (…) The news that potential perpetrators have been arrested gives me a glimmer of hope amid my deep sadness.”
In the letter, the mother also calls for tips and information about the attack to be passed on to the police. “Together we can ensure that justice is served for my beloved Firdaous.”
