Brussels crime lab attacked, five arrested

Brussels, Aug 29 (AFP) Several attackers rammed a carthrough the gates of Belgium’s national crime laboratory todayin Brussels and then started a fire in what prosecutors saidmay have been an attempt to destroy evidence. Five people were arrested nearby and are beingquestioned, but there is no confirmed link to terrorism sofar. No one was injured in the fire or by a large explosionwhich shook houses nearby, the city’s prosecutors said. The incident comes as Belgium remains on high alertfollowing suicide attacks on the city’s airport and metro inMarch which were claimed by the Islamic State group. "Several attackers forced their way into the instituteusing their car and were able to attack the building," saidIne Van Wymersch, a spokesman for the Brussels prosecutor’soffice. "The possibility of a terrorist act is not confirmed. Itgoes without saying that several individuals may have wantedto destroy evidence related to their legal cases." The incident happened in the early hours Monday at thenational criminology institute in Neder-Over-Hembeek, anorthern suburb of Brussels, and near the famed Atomiumtourist attraction. Part of the building was scorched and burned out, an AFPreporter saw, while a burned out car was lifted from the sceneby a crane. Van Wymersch said the crime lab, which gathers andanalyses evidence, "was not chosen by chance. It is animportant part of the justice department and deals withsensitive information in connection with several ongoingcases." She said it was not yet clear how they started the fire. Fire service spokesman Pierre Meys said there was an"extremely powerful" explosion, adding: "Windows of the labwere blown out dozens of metres away." He said about 30 firefighters were at the scene at around3:00am fighting the blaze. A young woman living in the neighborhood said she wasawakened by the explosion. "It made the house shake," she toldAFP, asking not to be named. The institute is part of Belgium’s federal justicesystem. Among its tasks is carrying out forensic analysis forcriminal cases. Belgium has been high alert after suicide bombers struckBrussels airport and a metro station near the European Unionheadquarters on March 22, killing 32 people. Those attacks were claimed by the Islamic State group,which controls large areas of territory in Iraq and Syria andhas claimed numerous terror attacks in Europe in recentmonths. The jihadist cell responsible for the Brussels attackswas also heavily involved in the November Paris attacks inwhich 130 people were killed and hundreds more wounded. The bombmaker for the Paris attacks, Najim Laachraoui,blew himself up at Brussels airport.(AFP)AMS