25-year-old Singaporean student fatally stabbed in Brussels; two suspects arrested

BRUSSELS: A 25-year-old Singaporean student was tragically killed in a stabbing incident on 7 November in central Brussels, Belgium.

The victim, studying at KU Leuven’s Brussels campus, succumbed to his injuries after being attacked in the early hours on Sint-Pietersstraat, according to a statement from the Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The incident occurred around 2:30 a.m. local time.

Police were dispatched to the scene following an emergency call and found the young man critically wounded from a knife stab to the abdomen.

Officers provided immediate first aid until paramedics and a Mobile Intensive Care Unit arrived, yet despite being rushed to the hospital, the victim died from his injuries.

According to local reports and statements from prosecutor’s office spokesperson Yasmina Vanoverschelde, the student was with two fellow students earlier in the evening when they were approached by two strangers near the Beurs area.

One of the individuals reportedly asked the victim for a cigarette, then demanded his mobile phone, which he refused.

The group, consisting of the victim and two female students, later walked towards Sint-Pietersstraat, where the two women reside in a student residence.

The two men allegedly followed the group, confronting the victim again when he was momentarily alone.

During this second encounter on Sint-Pietersstraat, an argument ensued, and one of the suspects drew a knife, fatally wounding the student in the abdomen.

The victim attempted to defend himself, but his injuries proved fatal. His friends quickly alerted emergency services as the perpetrators fled.

In the course of the investigation, police promptly identified and detained two suspects, both 18 years old, after conducting house searches early Thursday morning.

A bloodied knife, believed to be the weapon used in the incident, was found near the scene.

“The first elements of the investigation show that the victim was approached by the two suspects and that an argument resulted in a stabbing,” Vanoverschelde reported.