Brussels lab set on fire to destroy proof, say officials

BRUSSELS: Attackers rammed a car through the gates of Belgium’s national crime laboratory on Monday in Brussels and then started a fire in what officials said may

BRUSSELS: Attackers rammed a car through the gates of Belgium’s national crime laboratory on Monday in Brussels and then started a fire in what officials said may have been an attempt to destroy evidence.

HT Image

Five people were arrested nearby but later released, while prosecutors said there was no confirmed link to terrorism so far. No one was injured in the fire or by a large explosion which shook houses nearby.

The incident comes as Belgium remains on high alert following suicide attacks on the capital’s airport and metro system in March claimed by Islamic State.

“This location was not chosen randomly,” said Ine Van Wymersch, a spokesman for the Brussels prosecutor’s office, adding that the institute deals with “sensitive information in connection with several ongoing cases.”

Prosecutors had opened an investigation into “deliberate arson of a building and damage by explosion”, while bomb disposal experts attended the scene.

“The possibility of a terrorist act is not confirmed. It goes without saying that several individuals may have wanted to destroy evidence related to their legal cases,” Van Wymersch added.

She said that “several attackers forced their way into the institute using their car and were able to attack the building” and had apparently deliberately targeted the wing where the laboratories are located.