He had been kidnapped over a month ago. Belgian justice announced on Monday the release of a teenage boy, nephew of a Kurdish drug godfather. Seven people involved in the kidnapping were also arrested. "This is a villainous affair linked to the drug scene," said a source close to the investigation.
The 13-year-old boy was kidnapped on the night of April 20-21 at his parents' home near Genk in northeastern Belgium. The kidnappers were masked and heavily armed, said Limburg's attorney general Guido Vermeiren in a statement. They then demanded the payment of a large ransom.
Seven people arrested
In total, the teenager was sequestered for 42 days before being released this Sunday shortly after midnight, said the magistrate, who refused to say if a ransom had been paid. A large police operation was then carried out and seven people were arrested in the Antwerp region and in several localities in Limburg. The Belgian investigators were helped by the Dutch, French and American judicial and police authorities.
The child's uncle is considered a drug godfather. He was arrested in 2019 and sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for trafficking cocaine. "My client cannot believe that his reputation gave the kidnappers ideas," said his lawyer, Frank Scheerlinck, quoted in the Flemish daily Het Laast News .
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- Sequestration
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