This is not the first incident of truckers being the victim of crimes in recent months. A Federal Police spokesperson has told journalists that there is as yet no indication that the assailants were migrants.

On Wednesday the Mayor of Dilbeek (of which Groot-Bijgaarden is a part Willy Segers (Flemish nationalist) announced that he and the mayors of other near-by municipalities had agreed that the lorry park should be closed at night between 10pm and 6am.

The service station’s shop and diesel pump will remain open to truck throughout the night. The decision was taken after an incident last weekend in which a group of several dozen undocumented transit migrants attacked 6 police officers on the lorry park.

The migrants only dispersed after one of the police officers fired a warning shot into the air.