The tragedy shocked Belgium. Eight days after the murder in Brussels of a young policeman at the hands of an Islamist, thousands of Belgian colleagues paid tribute to him on Friday.
In Waremme, in the province of Liège (east) where Thomas Monjoie was originally from, more than 2,000 police officers formed an honor guard on either side of the funeral procession leaving the funeral home where the funeral had just taken place.
Hundreds more were called to observe a minute’s silence at 11 a.m. at police stations across the country where the flags had been lowered, according to the Liège police who organized the tribute.
This 29-year-old inspector was fatally wounded in the neck by a stab wound on November 10 in Brussels, while driving his service vehicle. His traveling companion had also been attacked, wounded in the arm, by the same man who was shouting “Allahu Akbar”.
The alleged killer, Yassine M., is a radicalized ex-inmate who was listed by the terrorist threat analysis body as a “potentially violent extremist.”
A case turned political
The morning of the events, this 32-year-old from Brussels went to a police station to talk about his “hatred” of the police and request “psychological attention”, according to the first elements of the investigation.
He was accompanied by a patrol in a hospital from which he quickly left of his own free will without having been examined by a doctor.
Police unions and many elected officials, even within the majority, found it incomprehensible that the Brussels public prosecutor’s office had not decided on a custodial measure informed of the suspect’s visit to the police station.
Several unions have called for the resignation of the Minister of Justice, Vincent Van Quickenborne, who this Monday had to give lengthy explanations along with his colleague from the Interior during a meeting of a commission called urgently in Parliament.
On Friday, the family of Thomas Monjoie had not wanted the presence of any government representative at the funeral. Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden participated in another ceremony with the victim’s police colleagues in Brussels.
During the funeral, broadcast on the outdoor giant screen, the father and the victim’s companion spoke moving words, their voices choked with emotion.
“I am very proud to have been able to share my life with you during these few years,” said the companion.
On Thursday, the preventive detention of Yassine M., suspected of “murder and attempted murder in a terrorist context”, was extended by one month.
Source: BFM TV
