Patterns of Global Terrorism 1999 - Belgium
| Publisher | United States Department of State |
| Author | Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism |
| Publication Date | 1 April 2000 |
| Cite as | United States Department of State, Patterns of Global Terrorism 1999 - Belgium, 1 April 2000, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/46810749c.html [accessed 8 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
In September, Belgian police raided a safehouse in Knokke belonging to the Turkish terrorist group DHKP/C and arrested six individuals believed to be involved in planning and support activities. During the operation officials seized false documents, detonators, small-caliber weapons, and ammunition. All six detainees filed appeals, and, at yearend, Belgian authorities released two of them. The Turkish Government requested the extradition of one group member, Fehriye Erdal, for participating in the murder in 1996 of a Turkish industrialist.
A claim made in the name of the GIA in July threatened to create a "blood bath" in Belgium "within 20 days" if Belgian authorities did not release imprisoned group members. Brussels took the threat seriously but showed resolve in not meeting any of GIA's demands, and no terrorist acts followed the missed deadline. In addition, a Belgian court in October convicted Farid Melouk – a French citizen of Algerian origin previously convicted in absentia by a French court as an accessory in the Paris metro bombings in 1995 – for attempted murder, criminal association, sedition, and forgery and sentenced him to imprisonment for nine years. In the same month, Belgium convicted a second GIA member, Ibrahim Azaouaj, for criminal association and sentenced him to two years in prison.
