How Brussels became a hotspot for illegal arms trade

A smuggled gun from Yugoslavia, a reactivated prop weapon from Slovakia or a gun that simply rolls out of the 3D printer. Criminals in our capital find many ways to get their hands on an illegal weapon. Is the fight against arms trade falling short?

Why was the weapon with which Abdesalem Lassoued killed two Swedes on Monday so unusual?

In addition to two pistols, Lassoued had an AR-15. This is known internationally as ‘the American gun‘. It is the best-selling gun in the United States: in no fewer than ten of the seventeen deadliest shootings in the US since 2012, the perpetrators used an AR-15.

In Europe it is quite rare for an AR15 to be recovered during an attack, because Eastern European weapons such as a Kalashnikov or Škorpion are much easier to obtain. It is possible that Lassoued’s weapon entered the illegal market through theft from a legal store. Another option is that it revolves around a reactivated weapon from Central European countries such as the Czech Republic or Slovakia.

There you could buy defused firearms as props for a long time without any permit. However, it turned out not to be that difficult for criminals to make them fire-ready again. “The fact that the shooter in Brussels obtained such a weapon shows that he did not act alone, but that he had good connections in the criminal circuit,” says terror expert Kenneth Lasoen (UAntwerp and Utrecht University).

Through which routes do firearms end up in Brussels?

Most weapons found in our country originate in Yugoslavia. Bloody wars were fought from the 1990s to 2001. These weapons then ended up in the illegal circuit, and the legacy of that war is still felt today.

But new routes for arms trade have also emerged in recent years. One is the aforementioned flow of reactivated weapons from the former Czechoslovakia. Another trend on the rise is that of alarm pistols. These are pistols that are replicas of real pistols, but only fire explosive cartridges. Some alarm pistols can also be converted quite easily into functioning firearms. “That is problematic, because you can buy pistols from 80 euros,” says Nils Duquet of the Flemish Peace Institute.

Those who have a less extensive network can also simply order a weapon online today. This can be done via the dark web or even via Telegram. Research of The morning learns that providers on Telegram offer all current models, ranging from Glock pistols for 700 euros to an AR15 for 1,500 euros. “Yet the dark web is still not a suitable place for many criminals, because those sites can also be infiltrated by police forces and there are a lot of scams,” says Duquet. For example, many providers on Telegram ask for payment in advance. In the event of fraud, prospective buyers cannot go to the police, because simply searching for weapons online is a punishable offense.

And then there are firearms that can be printed by 3D printers. Because these printers have become better and cheaper in a short time, this option becomes interesting for criminals.

Why is the arms trade in Belgium so vibrant now?

Many options have been added on the supply side in recent years. While until ten years ago weapons were mainly recovered from serious criminals with an extensive network, researchers now see that more and more young, local gangs are also obtaining weapons. According to Duquet, these young people act more nervous and impulsive, which leads to an increase in firearms incidents. “This makes criminals feel less safe, and their demand for weapons also increases. This creates a vicious circle.”

Belgium also has the disadvantage of being located at a crossroads of international drug trafficking, with the port of Antwerp as the main supply port. International research shows that terrorists and (drug) criminals work together and strengthen each other. “Terrorists depend on the network of criminal organizations for many things. For example, for the supply of weapons,” says Michaël Dantinne, criminologist at the University of Liège.

Is enough being done?

In recent years, various organizations and partnerships have been set up in Europe to map the international arms trade. “This is an absolute priority for the EU. That makes it all the more painful that this is not the case in Belgium,” says Duquet.

Between 2012 and 2020, the workforce of the federal police’s central firearms service decreased from nine full-time employees to four. “That is because a reorganization took place in 2014,” says Nick Gyselinck, spokesperson for Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden (CD&V). “The fight against arms trafficking was partly shifted to the various judicial districts.”

However, according to Duquet, this still amounts to a reduction. “You need that central service for the flow of information, for example abroad.”

According to the Flemish Peace Institute, we can learn a lot from the approach in the United Kingdom. A ballistics examination has been carried out there for every shelling for 25 years. If investigators then find a new weapon or caliber of bullet, they can track down a new criminal circuit. “We should also make such an investigation into the origin of a firearm a priority in every shooting. Otherwise, I fear that gun violence will get even more out of hand in the coming years.”