Vincent Van Quickenborne explained that he learned on Friday that Tunisia had claimed in August 2022 the extradition of the author of the attack having killed two on Monday in Brussels.
Belgian justice minister Vincent Van Quickenborne, his resignation from the government announced on Friday, October 20.
Four days after the attack perpetrated in Brussels by Abdessalem Lassoued, a 45 -year -old Tunisian undocumented, who killed two Swedes, the minister resigned this Friday, October 20, 2023, explaining, during a press conference the reasons for this resignation.
The minister said “he learned that Tunisia had claimed in August 2022 the extradition of Abdessalem Lassoued, a request untreated by the Brussels prosecutor’s office which was recipient”.
“The competent magistrate did not follow up on this extradition request and the file was not processed,” he said. “It is an individual, monumental fault, an unacceptable fault, with dramatic consequences,” he added.
Vincent Van Quickenborne said he assumes responsibility by resigning.
Abdesalem Lassoued was known to the Belgian authorities for crimes, including death threats made against an asylum seeker, according to justice. But he was not relieved in the database of the Coordination Organization for the Analysis of the Menace (OCAM), a federal agency.
The author of the Brussels attack died on Tuesday October 17, 2023 by succumbing to his injuries in the hospital. He had been touched by bullets during his arrest.
According to the Minister of Justice, Vincent Van Quickenborne, this asylum seeker was sentenced to Tunisia “for common law offenses”, but was not reported for a terrorist risk.
He had asked for asylum in Belgium in November 2019. He was known to the police for facts suspicious of human trafficking, (of) illegal and (of) affected by state security.
