Belgian Justice Minister Resigns Amid Fallout from Brussels Attack

Belgian Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne tendered his resignation on Friday, just four days after a devastating attack in Brussels that saw two Swedish football fans lose their lives at the hands of a Tunisian migrant living in the country without legal status.

During a press conference, Minister Van Quickenborne disclosed a critical detail: Tunisia had requested the extradition of the assailant, Abdesalem Lassoued, as far back as August the previous year. Regrettably, this request had not been pursued. He remarked, “It’s an individual, monumental, and unacceptable error. The magistrate responsible failed to follow up on this demand, and the dossier remained untreated.”

Accepting responsibility for this grave oversight, the minister stated, “I am not seeking excuses; I believe it is my duty to resign.” He also expressed, “This new revelation from the prosecutors deeply impacts me, as I have made every effort to enhance the judicial system.”

The 45-year-old attacker met a fatal end during a police operation on Tuesday.

Official records have shown that Lassoued submitted asylum applications in several European countries, including Norway, Sweden, Italy, and Belgium. Despite having his asylum bid rejected in 2020, he continued to stay in Belgium without legal authorization.

Simultaneously, French authorities have made an arrest in connection with the Brussels stabbings, according to a source closely linked to the case. A man was apprehended on Thursday in the Loire-Atlantique region of western France.