violence
Three people were seriously injured in a fight at Geel station on Monday evening around 5 p.m. A knife was said to have been found on the track. A suspect was later arrested. Mayor Vera Celis (N-VA) confirms this.
Marc Peeters, Ronny van den Ackerveken
Yesterday at 8:59 PM
“After school there was suddenly a massive fight at the station,” says café owner Luc Houtmeyers. “There were a hundred people standing close to each other. Suddenly someone shouted ‘Weapon! Weapon!’. Then everyone parted ways and I started looking closer. There were three injured. One was bleeding profusely, I suspect he was hit in the stomach and neck. A little later someone found a knife on the track. The police and emergency services quickly arrived on the scene.”
“The stabbing happened just after school between people from the Antillean community,” says the mayor. “There are three seriously injured victims, all minors. The perpetrator probably took the train to Mol. A bloody knife was found at Mol station.”
One of the young people is seriously injured, according to the public prosecutor’s office. The victims were taken to hospital. It is currently unclear exactly how old the young people are. Public prosecutor’s office spokesman Kristof Aerts also confirms that a suspect has been arrested. It is not yet clear whether he is involved in the facts.
Witnesses wanted
The mayor of Geel is now calling on witnesses to come forward. “We ask anyone who has seen something or taken images to report it to the police. We hope to obtain clarity as soon as possible about the cause of the incident. We want to know how it all started and hope to quickly identify the perpetrators and victims. We try to track down the perpetrators quickly. One suspect has now been arrested and is now being questioned. Further investigation must reveal whether and how he is involved in the facts.”
The police are still busy for hours making technical determinations, and the tunnel under the tracks will also remain closed for a long time. The police prevent unauthorized persons from entering the tunnel, something was probably going on there too. Traces of blood were also said to have been found.
The station remained operational all evening, the observations mainly occurred in the vicinity of the railway crossing, fifty meters from the tunnel. Anyone who has seen something suspicious can report this on telephone number 014 56 47 00 or by email at pz.glm.onderzoeken@police.belgium.eu.
