A Brussels shopkeeper has died after being severely beaten while intervening in an alleged Islamophobic attack on a tram.
Key facts
- •The victim, Driss Atouane, operated a supermarket in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels.
- •The attack occurred on July 23 at approximately 3:20 p.m. on Tram 55 in Evere.
- •Police arrested the suspect shortly after the assault took place.
- •An investigating judge has ordered a psychiatric evaluation of the suspect.
- •Incoming Schaerbeek mayor Hasan Koyuncu publicly condemned the incident as an unbearable injustice.
Driss Atouane, a supermarket manager in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels, died on Sunday following a violent assault. The incident occurred on July 23 aboard a tram in the municipality of Evere, where Atouane intervened to defend a woman being targeted with alleged racist and anti-Muslim remarks.
Details of the incident
According to reports, the confrontation took place at approximately 3:20 p.m. local time on Tram 55. After Atouane stepped in to assist the woman, the suspect allegedly turned on him and struck him repeatedly. Atouane was transported to a hospital with serious injuries but later succumbed to them.
Ongoing investigation
The Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed that police arrested the suspect within minutes of the attack. The individual has been placed under an arrest warrant, and an investigating judge has appointed a psychiatric expert to conduct an assessment. The investigation into the incident is currently ongoing.
Advertisement
This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by Daily Sabah.
