Mysterious case in Belgium: 13-year-old released after 42 days of being taken hostage
A 13-year-old boy was kidnapped by heavily armed criminals in Belgium from his parents’ home and only released after being held hostage for 42 days. The Belgian federal police announced the case on Monday.
The child had been released the night before and was healthy. Seven suspects were arrested in raids at several locations. Belgian media speculated about an act in the drug environment. The kidnappers are said to have ransomed five million euros.
Officially, the federal police described the case as follows: In the night from April 20 to 21, heavily armed and masked violent criminals entered the family home in Genk in eastern Belgium and abducted the 13-year-old. During the 42 days of the hostage-taking, there were repeated contacts between the kidnappers and the family. A ransom was demanded. The kidnappers sent the child’s vital signs twice.
After intensive investigations, several suspects were identified, the police said. The child was finally released unharmed on the night of June 1st. Eight searches were carried out in the province of Limburg and four more in Antwerp. The seven suspects should be brought before the judge.
According to information from the broadcaster VRT and the newspaper “Het Belang van Limburg”, an Islamist extremist and a convicted Syrian fighter are among those arrested. The public prosecutor initially did not confirm this information, the Belga agency reported.
The authorities left open the background of the violence and the question of whether there was a ransom. The broadcaster RTBF reported that part of the requested amount had been paid. The kidnapped boy’s family is known to the police for links to drug trafficking. However, the broadcaster also made it clear that it had not yet been confirmed whether it was “violence between drug lords”. The victim and his family receive medical and psychological help.
Police chief Eric Snoeck praised the success of his agency’s investigation in the middle of the Corona crisis. The officials had investigated actively and discreetly under often very difficult circumstances. He was proud of his employees’ daily struggle against organized crime and terrorism. In the case, the investigators also worked with police and judicial officials in the Netherlands, France and the United States, according to official sources. (sda / dpa)
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