N-VA targets PS leadership after renewed Brussels gun violence
The opposition N-VA demanded an urgent Brussels Parliament hearing on 25 August and accused PS-led municipalities of failing to contain a four-day series of shootings across the capital.
In 30 seconds
- N-VA requested an urgent Brussels Parliament Internal Affairs Committee meeting.
- BX1 counted six shootings over four days in Anderlecht, Saint-Gilles and Molenbeek.
- Federal police figures cited by BX1 recorded 57 Brussels shootings through July 2026.
- The Federal Police recorded 101 Brussels shootings during 2025, regardless of motive.
Updated 27 August 2026 — On Tuesday 25 August in , opposition parliamentarian Mathias Vanden Borre demanded an urgent meeting of the Brussels Parliament’s Internal Affairs Committee after six shootings were recorded over four days in , and Molenbeek. , reporting with Belga, said the latest incidents left several people injured, while the Brussels prosecutor’s office continued efforts to identify and arrest those responsible.
Vanden Borre accused the PS, which leads the municipalities affected, of failing to confront persistent armed violence. According to BX1, he pointed to the attack on an Anderlecht police station and argued that the regional authorities’ response remained inadequate. Vlaams Belang supported the demand, while Interior Minister Bernard Quintin of the MR separately blamed decisions made by previous Brussels administrations, with the PS as his principal target.
The incidents began late on Friday when shots were fired at a police station on Rue Démosthène in Anderlecht, BX1 reported. Subsequent shootings injured men in Saint-Gilles and Molenbeek, and another bullet entered a Saint-Gilles home without striking its occupant. On Monday evening, automatic gunfire near Place des Deux Bancs forced customers at a neighbouring pizzeria to take cover, according to BX1. Two suspects were detained after one of the earlier Saint-Gilles incidents, but the circumstances and possible links between the cases remain under investigation.
The scale extends beyond this four-day sequence. BX1 reported, citing figures, that Brussels recorded 57 shootings during the first seven months of 2026, causing two deaths and 21 injuries. The Federal Police’s 2025 annual report recorded 101 shootings in Brussels that year, regardless of motive, and said investigators were handling 26 files involving suspected drug-related shootings.
PS officials reject the attempt to place responsibility primarily at municipal level. Federal MP Ridouane Chahid told BX1 that the federal government must provide more personnel and funding for police and justice. The PS requested a joint meeting of the federal parliament’s Interior and Justice committees, while the mayors of Saint-Gilles, Anderlecht and Forest called for a coordinated federal plan. Quintin said 77 officers had already reinforced Brussels, including more than 40 on a structural basis, and promised an assessment of further needs, according to BX1.
Where this is happening
View on map Brussels →The immediate test is whether the competing authorities turn those claims into coordinated deployments and investigations. The Brussels prosecutor’s office is due to present an update on Friday, BX1 reported. That briefing should clarify whether the recent shootings are connected, how many suspects remain at large and whether investigators have established links to drug trafficking.
What to do
People living, working or travelling through Anderlecht, Saint-Gilles and Molenbeek should follow instructions and local updates from police and municipal authorities, particularly around any active investigation scenes or temporary street restrictions. The next concrete information point is the Brussels prosecutor’s office update expected on Friday. Residents can also watch whether the Brussels Parliament’s Internal Affairs Committee schedules the urgent hearing requested on 25 August. The article reports no new legal duties, transport changes or direct costs for residents at this stage.
Impact
Regional — The shootings directly affect residents, businesses and public services in Anderlecht, Saint-Gilles and Molenbeek, while the political dispute concerns security policy across all 19 Brussels municipalities.
EvidenceWell established · 2 primary sources + 1 official document + 2 independent reporting sourcesExplore evidence →Hide evidence ↑
- Published:
- 25 Aug 2026, 02:00
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 27 Aug 2026
- Published:
- 25 Aug 2026, 02:00
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 27 Aug 2026
- Published:
- 24 Aug 2026, 02:00
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 27 Aug 2026
- Published:
- 25 Aug 2026, 02:00
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 27 Aug 2026
- Published:
- 1 Mar 2026, 01:00
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 27 Aug 2026
Voices & reactions
What the main actors are doing
Reported positions, summarised — not direct quotationsN-VA and MR responsibility argument
N-VA parliamentarian Mathias Vanden Borre and MR Interior Minister Bernard Quintin place substantial responsibility on PS-led municipalities and earlier Brussels administrations, arguing that longstanding local and regional decisions failed to control armed violence.
PS and southern Brussels mayors
PS representatives and the mayors of Saint-Gilles, Anderlecht and Forest argue that organised drug crime exceeds municipal capacity and requires more federal investigators, judicial resources and a nationally coordinated operational plan.
The story, connected
Explore the people, places and ideas in this story
Go beyond the headline. Open a card for sourced context, maps, official links and the other subjects connected to this report.
Continue reading
This story was assembled from verified evidence, with its sources and reasoning recorded as it was written.