2023-10-20 07:10:00
Abdesalem L., the perpetrator of the attack committed on Monday in Brussels, was heavily armed. The man used a weapon of war to carry out his attack which cost the lives of two people. Although many eyewitnesses mentioned an AK-47 (or Kalashnikov), it was more of an AR-15, used extensively in the United States in mass killings. How was Abdesalem L. able to equip himself with such equipment? “The AR-15 is a classic assault rifle that is very lethal. It is indeed a weapon that we find in the United States, but there are also manufacturers in Europe. It’s a weapon that circulates quite easily to the four corners of the globe,” explains Yannick Quéau, director of GRIP, gresearch and information group on peace and security.
In Europe, particularly in Belgium, the market is particularly well supplied. Small calibers or weapons of war, everyone can find something for themselves without having to spend a lot of money. Thus, to acquire a weapon similar to the one used by Abdesalem L. on Monday evening, you only have to pay 3,000 euros, explains Nils Duquet, director of the Flemish Institute for Peace. “The price is not an important element, arms traffickers do not make it a priority. There are so many guns on the market that it is especially important to sell.”
Cost: 3,000 euros for 40 to 50 years of longevity
Yannick Quéau specifies that the origins of the weapons present in Belgium are numerous. “First there is the region of former Yugoslavia, the scene of an armed conflict in the early 1990s. The weapons are still in good condition, because they have a long lifespan. If a weapon is well maintained, it can last 40 to 50 years. So these are weapons that arouse interest everywhere.”
Nils Duquet also mentions other sources supplying the market. “For about ten years, there has been what we call the “Slovakia Route” where it was very easy to buy deactivated weapons. European legislation was very fluid, assuming that it is difficult to reactivate these weapons. Thus, until 2017, it was possible to buy a Slovak weapon without a license, explains the director of the Flemish Institute for Peace. Problem: the Slovak procedure for deactivating weapons was far from perfect. Reactivating these weapons was therefore easy. Criminal circles quickly understood this, which boosted arms sales.”
The other source of this market is alarm guns, which you can easily buy anywhere in Europe, as long as you are an adult, explains Nils Duquet. “Most of these models cannot in principle be transformed into a dangerous weapon. Except that in some countries, like Bulgaria, you can find these guns for 80 euros and transform them in five minutes.”
According to this expert, the existence of such a well-stocked market in Belgium can also be explained by the increased use of firearms. Especially from young criminals who are not afraid to shoot. This is evidenced by the number of shootings which have literally exploded in Belgium, especially in the drug sector. “Criminals arm themselves to protect their property or to intimidate others. Their enemies arm themselves to defend themselves. This vicious circle allows the arms market to prosper.”
Strong links between drugs and weapons
Nils Duquet also adds that “Belgium is a country of narcotics, where we find cocaine, cannabis and synthetic drugs”. “And drug traffickers are the ones who are most interested in weapons. The two are therefore intimately linked.”
He continues: “Next, Belgium has always been considered a major producer of firearms with, until recently, fairly lax legislation.” “Before 2006 and the Onkelinx law, it was easy – even legally – to acquire a firearm here. The criminals have always known this. Even if the law is tougher, Belgium’s reputation has not changed. For all these reasons, Belgium is therefore an explosive cocktail in the illegal sale of arms.”
Yannick Quéau, director of GRIP, confirms that drug trafficking and arms sales are connected. But according to him, the problem does not only affect Belgium. “Other countries in Northern Europe and with a port area are affected. There are similar dynamics in the Netherlands via Rotterdam, in Germany via Hamburg and even in Sweden via the ports of Malmö and Gothenburg. There is also cross-border cooperation between these countries, cooperation which is not always easy to implement or not always easy to achieve with the hoped-for results.”
Nils Duquet concludes: “It is incomprehensible to note that the fight against this illegal market is a priority in Europe – with many initiatives from Europol – while in Belgium, the hub of firearms in Europe, this is not the case. This is not the case at all. It is included in the national security plan, but it is a priority on paper, not on the ground. At the beginning of 2010, there were around ten specialized people in the Central Directorate for Combating Serious Crime of the federal police. Today there are three or four people.”
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