More than 200 people detained as New Year’s celebrations in Brussels get out of hand
Police in Brussels detained a total of 211 during the night. The lion’s share were detained for a few hours in order to allow public order situations to defuse. However, 26 people were detained for criminal offences. According to figures from the 6 Brussels local police services, 75 rubbish bins were set on fire and the police received 16 reports of cars that had been set on fire.
A number of those detained are suspected of having set rubbish bins alight. Others are suspected of having thrown objects at cars, busses and police vehicles. The arrests were mainly in the Brussels West, Brussels-Elsene and Brussels South policing areas and to a lesser extent in the Brussel-North policing zone.
The police report that the situation was tense in a number of areas of the city, including the area around the Lemonnierlaan in the city centre, Kuregem in Anderlecht and Zwarte Vijvers in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek.
There were reports of a ca rand a scooter being torched in Molenbeek. A car was also set alight in Vorst.
Incidents on public transport
The Brussels public transport company MIVB reported a number of incidents across the capital. A bus was pelted with missiles and some of its windows broken at the Ieper bus stop in Brussels city centre.
Two metro carriages were vandalised at the Erasmus metro station in Anderlecht. A number of bus shelters were damaged and a police vehicle got stuck on the tram rails near to Anderlecht Town Hall. By far the most serious incident was at the Beekkant metro station in Molenbeek. There one person was seriously injured in a stabbing. The stabbing took place at around 2am.