Two overnight shootings in Saint-Gilles and Molenbeek leave two people injured
Two people were injured in separate shootings in Saint-Gilles and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean overnight from Sunday to Monday, according to reports citing the local police zones.
In 30 seconds
- Two people were reported injured in two separate overnight shootings.
- One shooting occurred at Square Jacques Franck in Saint-Gilles.
- The second shooting occurred in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean.
- No connection between the two incidents has been officially established.
Updated 24 August 2026, 10:30 CEST — Two people were injured in separate shootings in and during the night of Sunday 23 to Monday 24 August, La Libre and La Dernière Heure reported, citing the police zones responsible for the two Brussels municipalities. One incident occurred at Square Jacques Franck in Saint-Gilles. The precise location of the Molenbeek shooting and the medical condition of both injured people had not been officially detailed at the time of publication.
The shootings are being treated as separate incidents unless investigators establish otherwise. La Libre and La Dernière Heure did not report a confirmed connection between them, and the identities of the injured people and any suspected gunmen remain undisclosed. Police and prosecutors have also not established a motive publicly. Those gaps are important: any link to drug trafficking or territorial disputes remains unconfirmed in these two cases.
The incidents followed an already violent weekend in the Brussels-Midi police area. BX1, citing the Brussels public prosecutor’s office and Belga, reported that a man was shot in the leg in Saint-Gilles at about 21:15 on Saturday. A second shot early Sunday struck the window of a home near Porte de Hal without injuring the occupant. Earlier, gunfire had targeted a police station in . Prosecutor Julien Moinil said investigations into those weekend incidents were continuing and that an update would follow.
The Brussels Times separately reported that Saint-Gilles mayor Jean Spinette considered Saturday evening’s shooting near Place des Deux Bancs likely to involve drug dealers. That assessment concerned the Saturday case, not the two shootings reported on Monday, and investigators have not publicly extended it to the latest violence.
Square Jacques Franck has previously been associated with serious gun violence. Federal Police records show that shots were fired there in February 2024, while BX1 reported another shooting in October 2025 in which a victim was wounded in the knee. The recurrence places additional pressure on police and prosecutors to determine whether enforcement is displacing armed groups between neighbourhoods or whether the latest cases have unrelated causes.
Where this is happening
View on map Saint-Gilles →Residents of Saint-Gilles and Molenbeek now await verified information on the victims’ conditions, possible arrests and forensic findings. The Brussels prosecutor’s office and the two local police zones are expected to clarify the chronology and say whether any of the recent shootings are connected.
What to do
People near Square Jacques Franck or the relevant Molenbeek location should follow instructions from police and avoid entering any active security perimeter. Anyone who witnessed either shooting or has relevant images should preserve the original material and contact the responsible police zone; emergencies should be reported through 101 or 112. Residents should monitor Brussels-Midi, Brussels-West and the Brussels public prosecutor’s office for confirmed updates on suspects, victim conditions or access restrictions. No evidence currently supports treating the two shootings as connected, and no specific citywide travel change has been announced.
Impact
Regional — The shootings affect the Brussels-Capital Region directly, particularly residents and businesses around Square Jacques Franck and the still-unidentified Molenbeek location.
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Voices & reactions
What the main actors are doing
Reported positions, summarised — not direct quotationsSaint-Gilles municipal assessment
Mayor Jean Spinette has publicly associated Saturday’s separate shooting near Place des Deux Bancs with violence between drug dealers and has repeatedly highlighted the pressure that street dealing places on neighbourhoods. That assessment has not been confirmed for the two latest shootings.
Brussels prosecutors’ position
The Brussels public prosecutor’s office has kept the focus on identifying and arresting those responsible for the recent gunfire. It has not publicly confirmed a common motive or operational link between the latest incidents, so the cases remain distinct in verified reporting.
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