Singaporean student, 25, stabbed to death in Brussels, 2 teenagers arrested

SINGAPORE – A 25-year-old Singaporean student died after he was stabbed in the abdomen in the city centre of Brussels on Nov 7.

The victim was taken to hospital, where he died, according to a statement from the Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office that same day.

The Brussels police received a call for assistance at Sint-Pietersstraat, a street in the Belgian capital, at 2.30am local time (9.30am Singapore time), according to local reports.

Two 18-year-old males have been identified and detained by the Brussels police after house searches.

“The first elements of the investigation show that the victim was approached by the two suspects and that an argument resulted in a stabbing,” said Public Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman Yasmina Vanoverschelde.

According to Brussels media outlet Bruzz, the victim was with two students in the city centre that evening when two strangers harassed the group.

The trio later went to Sint-Pietersstraat. When the victim was alone, the two suspects approached him, with one of them allegedly pulling out a knife.

The police administered first aid to the victim until the paramedics arrived. A police cordon was set up at the scene of the incident.

The police also informed the magistrate on duty at the Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office, who requested an investigating judge, who visited the scene.

Brussels’ public prosecutor said the exact circumstances of the incident have yet to be clarified at this stage of the investigation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on Nov 8 that the Singapore Embassy in Brussels has been providing consular assistance to the family of the victim and is in contact with the authorities in Belgium.

“MFA extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved family,” it added.