Arrr, the scurvy Belgian justice minister be walkin' the plank, for learnin' he could've sent that Tunisian scallywag back last year!
2023-10-20
Arrr! Belgian Justice Cap'n Vincent Van Quickenborne, upon learnin' that Tunisia be aimin' to extradite a scallywag tied to a recent shootin', has decided to walk the plank from his post. Aye, 'tis a fine time for a sea change!
Belgium's justice minister, Vincent Van Quickenborne, has resigned following the discovery that Tunisia had sought the extradition of an Islamic extremist who went on to kill two Swedes and injure another. Van Quickenborne admitted that his department had made a "monumental error" in failing to act on the extradition request for Abdesalem Lassoued, who had disappeared two years ago after being denied asylum in Belgium. Lassoued carried out the attack on Monday night, using a semiautomatic rifle to shoot the victims, resulting in a lockdown of over 35,000 people in a soccer stadium. He was later shot dead by police in a Brussels cafe.Van Quickenborne acknowledged the failure, stating that the extradition request had been received and not acted upon by the responsible magistrate. Taking full political responsibility for the error, he offered his resignation to Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. De Croo accepted the resignation and called a meeting of senior ministers and security officials to investigate the matter further.
This incident adds to the growing criticism of Belgium's justice system, which is already plagued by issues such as staffing shortages and heavy caseloads. Lassoued had previously applied for asylum in Belgium in 2019 and was flagged by authorities for suspected involvement in human trafficking and posing a risk to state security. Despite being denied asylum and ordered for extradition in 2020, he was not deported due to authorities being unable to locate his address. It was only after the attack that his whereabouts were discovered.
While tensions in Israel and Gaza are high, Belgian prosecutors have found no evidence linking the attack to the conflict. The incident serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by authorities in dealing with radicalized individuals and the potential consequences of administrative errors.