On Sunday afternoon, the emergency services arrived en masse towards Café Belvedere on Tervuursesteenweg. The café has been closed for the past few days due to illness.
A man had barricaded himself in the living area of the café and had made concrete threats. It is not clear whether the man has explosives with him, but no risks were taken. That is why the Service for Clearance and Destruction of Explosive Devices (DOVO) was also present.
Fire brigade and police were present en masse, as were people from Fluvius. “This afternoon around 2 p.m., a person barricaded himself in his home and made a number of fairly serious threats,” said Chief of Police Filip Vansteenbergen of the Kastze police zone. “We have set up a perimeter and requested support from the federal police who are currently negotiating with him. This concerns a person who may be in a confused state. I refer to the public prosecutor’s office for more information when this is over.” Mayor Veerle Geerinckx also arrived on site. “No people have been evacuated. Everyone can stay in the house quietly. We cannot estimate how long this will take. Hopefully as soon as possible,” she said briefly. The police’s specialized negotiators were in contact with the man for hours. He finally surrendered around 9:30 PM and was subsequently transferred to a hospital.