“As you can see, this hellish streak, which has been going on for several years, continues,” Moinil said, adding that Brussels has already seen 69 gun-related incidents in 2026, against the 102 that took place in 2025.
The incidents reported in Saint-Gilles were linked to a fight between two drug-trafficking gangs. Still, innocent citizens were caught in the crossfire, the prosecutor said: In one attack, clients of a pizzeria had to seek cover from the flying bullets.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever is convening a meeting with the country’s security services Friday afternoon to discuss drug-related shootings, Le Soir reports.
“Today, as a prosecutor, I am concerned for the citizens, since what I had pointed out — that anyone could get shot — has turned out to be true,” the prosecutor warned.
Since 2025, the police have arrested 93 adults and 14 underage suspects; closed 350 stores; and seized 3,500 luxury cars — which traffickers like to tour Brussels in, according to Moinil — and several thousand users were penalized. By Thursday, the prosecutor’s office had also seized €203 million from criminals in the capital.
“We are working tirelessly with limited resources, since I have not received any additional funding at all despite this crisis,” continued Moinil. He noted that the €10 million in extra resources he’d requested to step up his fight against drug violence was not “excessive” compared with the €203 million already seized.