Officer Nordine, 41, a member of the Anti-Robbery Brigade (AOB), was shot in the head while police were stopping a stolen car. The vehicle had been taken in a carjacking in Tubize. That same night, a man was shot dead in the entrance hall of an apartment building in Ixelles, near the European Parliament. A suspect has been arrested. The investigation is ongoing.

(Staff: Belgium / Justice & Crime)

The pursuit

A Brussels police officer was killed during the night of 12–13 October 2026 in Jette, while officers were trying to stop a stolen car. According to Belgian media reports, Nordine, aged 41, belonged to the Anti-Robbery Brigade (AOB) of the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles Police, a unit specialising in tackling organised crime and violent robberies. The vehicle had been stolen in a carjacking in Tubize, in Walloon Brabant. During the pursuit, the officer was shot in the head. He was rushed to hospital but died shortly afterwards. Witnesses reported hearing two gunshots, and a handgun was found in a nearby bush. Investigators also seized a second vehicle with Polish registration plates and bullet marks on its bodywork.

A second death that same night

That same night, a man was shot dead in the entrance hall of an apartment building on Wiertz Street in Ixelles, a short distance from the European Parliament. The victim was hit in the chest. The investigation into this death is also ongoing.

Arrests and investigation

According to sources cited by HLN, a suspect was arrested in connection with the officer’s death in Jette. Earlier, Walloon media reported that two people had been detained, one of whom was carrying several weapons. Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said the search for the perpetrator or perpetrators was continuing.

Context: 54 shootings in Brussels this year

According to figures compiled by radio station BRUZZ, the Brussels-Capital Region has recorded at least 54 shootings this year, leaving 4 people dead and 23 injured. Most incidents are linked to conflicts between drug-trafficking gangs.

Official and union reactions

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever expressed his condolences on social media, saying that we can never be grateful enough to police officers who carry out their mission with the utmost courage, sometimes at the risk of their own lives. Police unions reacted strongly. Vincent Houssin, vice-president of VSOA Police, called the killing “a fully fledged assassination” and criticised the political authorities’ lack of response to escalating violence against police officers. Joery Dehaes of NSPV estimated that 36 police officers had lost their lives on duty over the past 25 years, many of them victims of violence.

Conclusion

The death of Officer Nordine once again highlights the serious problem of gun violence in Brussels and the safety of law-enforcement personnel. Although a suspect has been arrested, the investigation is far from over. It remains to be seen what measures will be taken to prevent such tragedies and restore trust in public institutions.