Six shootings in days intensify pressure on Brussels security authorities
Brussels recorded six shooting incidents from Friday to Monday evening, culminating in automatic gunfire in Saint-Gilles that caused no injuries and left the shooter at large.
In 30 seconds
- The latest shots were fired in Saint-Gilles at about 21:00 on 24 August; nobody was injured and the shooter escaped.
- Six incidents were reported from Friday through Monday evening, including attacks in Saint-Gilles, Anderlecht and Molenbeek.
- At least three people were wounded during the sequence, while a bullet also struck an occupied home.
- Federal police counted 57 Brussels shootings, two deaths and 21 injuries through July 2026.
Updated 25 August 2026, 16:00 CEST — A gunman fired an automatic weapon near the junction of Rue Gustave Defnet, Rue du Monténégro and Chaussée de in at about 21:00 on Monday, causing no injuries before escaping, Mayor Jean Spinette told . It was the sixth shooting incident reported across in several days and the fourth in Saint-Gilles over three consecutive days.
Customers at a nearby pizzeria took shelter during Monday’s gunfire, according to BRUZZ. The same area had already been targeted on Saturday evening, when a man was shot in the leg. Police said his life was not in danger. On Sunday morning, another bullet struck the window of an occupied home near Chaussée de Forest, without injuring the resident.
The violence extended beyond Saint-Gilles. BRUZZ reported that gunfire hit the façade of the Brussels-South police station in Rue Démosthène, , on Friday evening. Shortly after midnight on Monday, police found a man in Molenbeek with a gunshot wound to his lower leg, VRT NWS reported. At about 02:40, another person was wounded near Chaussée de Forest; Brussels-South police arrested two suspects, according to BRUZZ. Authorities have not established publicly whether all six incidents are connected.
The sequence follows an already severe year for firearm violence. figures reported by BRUZZ show 57 shootings across the Brussels-Capital Region between 1 January and 31 July 2026, leaving two people dead and 21 wounded. Brussels registered 101 shootings, eight deaths and 43 injuries during all of 2025, the same figures show.
Justice Minister described the latest violence as an expression of organised crime and stressed that criminal networks operate across borders and continually adapt. Brussels-South police chief Jurgen De Landsheer told VRT NWS that gangs recruit people to carry out shootings for relatively small payments. Investigators have not publicly attributed every incident in the latest sequence to drug trafficking.
After meeting Interior Minister Bernard Quintin on Tuesday, the mayors of Saint-Gilles, Anderlecht and Forest demanded a and additional personnel. BRUZZ reported that Brussels is also selecting a regional drugs commissioner to coordinate hotspot policing, anti-money-laundering work and social prevention, although the office will have no police force of its own.
Where this is happening
View on map Brussels →Police investigations into the separate shootings continue. The immediate questions are whether forensic evidence links the attacks, who ordered them and whether Monday evening’s fugitive can be identified.
What to do
People in Saint-Gilles, Anderlecht and Molenbeek should follow instructions around active police cordons and avoid approaching shooting scenes or abandoned weapons. Anyone who witnessed an incident, recorded relevant footage or finds ballistic damage should contact police rather than post identifying evidence publicly. There is no reported general closure, curfew or change to public transport in the facts available. Residents should monitor their municipality and local police zone for location-specific notices. The next concrete policy development to watch is whether federal authorities answer the mayors’ request for an action plan and additional personnel.
Impact
Regional — Saint-Gilles, Anderlecht and Molenbeek face the immediate policing burden. The incidents also increase pressure on all six Brussels police zones and on regional coordination across municipal boundaries.
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Voices & reactions
What the main actors are doing
Reported positions, summarised — not direct quotationsBrussels-South municipal leaders
The mayors of Saint-Gilles, Anderlecht and Forest frame the violence as a national organised-crime problem that exceeds municipal capacity. They demand a federal action plan and more personnel rather than leaving the response primarily to local police zones.
Federal justice response
Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden presents the response as a broad campaign against adaptable, cross-border criminal organisations, combining police and judicial work with action against criminal finances instead of treating each shooting as an isolated local incident.
Regional coordination strategy
The Brussels regional government is preparing a drugs commissioner to coordinate hotspot enforcement, anti-money-laundering measures and prevention. Supporters see coordination as essential, while regional lawmakers note that the office has no police force and depends on cooperation from existing authorities.
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