17-year-old detained in connection with bus driver stabbing
Police have detained a 17-year-old boy in connection with the stabbing of a bus driver at Kontich in Antwerp Province. As we reported last week, the bus driver was attack while he was smoking a cigarette outside his bus that was parked up at Kontich Railway Station.
Although he sustained life-threatening injuries he managed to drive his bus back to the bus station and complete his route before contacting the emergency services.
The attack took place on Thursday 9 January. The Antwerp Judicial Authorities opened an investigation. Now a suspect has been detained on suspicion of attempted murder. The suspect, a minor, was detained on the basis of CCTV images and a number of witness statements. He denies the allegations.
The suspect was questioned by a Juvenile Magistrate on Friday and it was decided that he should be sent to a secure young offenders’ centre. The driver was stabbed 10 times in the attack. It wasn’t until he was back at his depot in Tisselt, near Willebroek (Antwerp province) that he noticed that he had been injured. He received stab wounds to the neck ad right upper arm. Nothing is yet known about the motive behind the attack.