Suspect in five Vetex-site fires released under conditions in Kortrijk

Updated 17 August 2026, 16:30 CEST — Kortrijk

A 52-year-old man suspected of setting at least five fires at the Vetex site in Kortrijk has been released under conditions, VRT NWS reported on Monday, 17 August. The decision means he is no longer being held while investigators continue examining the series of fires. Authorities have not publicly detailed the conditions or announced any criminal charge or trial date.

Police arrested the man after a resident photographed someone considered suspicious near the former industrial site, according to reporting by HLN. The newspaper said the image helped investigators identify a suspect in connection with repeated outbreaks of fire. The publicly available reporting does not establish that the man has admitted responsibility, and he remains presumed innocent.

VRT NWS links the investigation to at least five suspected arson incidents at the site. Neither VRT NWS nor HLN has published a complete chronology of the fires, the precise locations of every ignition point or a final assessment of the damage. No verified motive has been disclosed. Those gaps remain central to the investigation, particularly because establishing that fires were deliberately started does not by itself prove who started them.

The location gives the case added importance for the Sint-Jan neighbourhood. Kortrijk city describes Vetex as a roughly two-hectare former textile-factory complex between a residential district and the old industrial canal area. The grounds have evolved into a community meeting place and contain surviving industrial buildings, an English-style garden and open space used by local groups.

The city is also redeveloping Vetex as a 1.7-hectare neighbourhood park, a community hall and a residential area. Kortrijk’s project information says construction began in late 2025 after years of planning and consultation. A separate April 2026 project update from developer Matexi records 35 planned homes and one commercial unit. The fires therefore concern an active redevelopment site as well as a familiar public space.

The immediate question is whether investigators can connect the suspect to each reported fire through photographs, witness accounts, forensic findings or other evidence. Police and prosecutors have not publicly specified the release conditions, whether further interviews are scheduled or when the investigation will conclude. Until they do, the confirmed position remains limited: a suspect was identified and detained, then released under judicial conditions as the inquiry continued.