Hundreds of residents gathered in the Belgian city of Antwerp over the weekend following the fatal stabbing of a 30 year old man of Moroccan origin during what authorities described as a violent robbery, as police arrested a Romanian suspect in a raid that briefly triggered unrest near local mosques, according to Belgian media reports.
The victim was attacked Thursday night in Hoboken, a southern district of Antwerp, in an assault linked to the theft of mobile phones, Belgian outlet The Brussels Times reported. The man later died from his injuries, prompting anger among residents and members of the local Moroccan community.
Crowds gathered Friday near the Fatih and Al Nasr mosques as police launched an operation linked to the investigation. Videos circulating on social media showed tense scenes in the neighborhood, with residents confronting officers during the raid.
Belgian police later arrested a 25 year old Romanian national inside an apartment in Hoboken. The Antwerp prosecutor’s office confirmed Saturday that the suspect had been questioned before an investigating judge ordered him held in custody pending further investigation.
The incident quickly drew attention within Belgium’s Moroccan diaspora, one of the country’s largest immigrant communities, particularly in Antwerp and Brussels. Some residents described growing frustration over violent crime and insecurity in parts of the port city, although officials have not linked the case to broader organized criminal activity.
Belgian media reported that tensions rose during the police intervention Friday evening after news spread that a suspect had been identified. Local authorities deployed additional police units to contain crowds gathering around the operation.
The killing comes as Belgium continues to face pressure over rising concerns linked to urban violence, drug trafficking and knife crime in major cities including Antwerp, which has become a key European entry point for cocaine trafficking through its port infrastructure.
While the investigation into the Hoboken attack remains ongoing, prosecutors have so far treated the case as a homicide linked to robbery. Local reports said mobile phones were stolen during the attack, although investigators have not yet publicly detailed the full sequence of events leading to the stabbing.
Antwerp authorities have urged residents to avoid spreading unverified information online as the investigation continues. Police presence remained visible in parts of Hoboken over the weekend following the arrest operation.
Belgium hosts one of Europe’s largest Moroccan origin populations, many descended from labor migration agreements signed between Rabat and Brussels in the 1960s. Antwerp in particular has long been home to sizeable Moroccan communities concentrated in several working class districts.
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