Brussels shootings prompt drug gang crackdown call

Brussels chief prosecutor Julien Moinil called Friday for a tougher crackdown on drug trafficking gangs after recent shootings in the Belgian capital.

Moinil said there had been 69 shooting incidents in Brussels so far this year and 170 since the start of 2025. He said most of the violence appeared to be linked to a turf war between two rival drug gangs.

“Anyone could get shot,” Moinil told journalists.

Authorities said this week they would deploy 40 more police officers and more mobile cameras after the recent shootings. The incidents included masked assailants firing automatic weapons, several people being wounded and a police station being targeted.

Moinil said gang leaders, many of whom he said were abroad, needed to be arrested. He also said authorities should do more to stop people already in jail from directing further violence.

He called for more resources for police investigation units, saying gangs had increasingly begun recruiting youths from France and undocumented migrants as foot soldiers.

Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said this week that the country faced “a national emergency” and that fighting organised crime had to be a priority for all levels of government.

Belgium is a major gateway for drugs smuggled into Europe, with the port of Antwerp serving as a key entry point for criminal gangs. Armed violence linked to gang conflicts has increased in recent years.