Two Dutchmen are suspected of throwing a man into the water in Ghent, who subsequently drowned. One of the two, a 25-year-old man from Goes, was arrested in Breda. The other is still being sought, the Belgian Public Prosecution Service said.
The 53-year-old victim comes from the Flemish city. He ended up in the water of a Ghent city canal early on Sunday morning, on the way back from the annual city festivities. Eyewitnesses alerted emergency services, but help came too late.
“The two people who pushed the man into the water then fled,” the OM said. The assistance of the Netherlands was immediately called in. The police have now been able to arrest and question the 25-year-old suspect. Belgium has requested his surrender. The second is ‘actively detected’.
On Monday, Belgian media already reported that the victim would have contracted three Dutch people. They would have been playing around with each other and would have pretended to throw each other into the water. Two of the Dutch would eventually have thrown the Gentenaar over the railing of a bridge.