Brabant killers
The Brabant killers, also named the Nijvel Gang in Dutch-speaking media (Dutch: De Bende van Nijvel), and the mad killers of Brabant in French-speaking media (French: Les Tueurs fous du Brabant), are responsible for a series of violent attacks that mainly occurred in the Belgian province of Brabant between 1982 and 1985. A total of 28 people died and 22 were injured. The actions of the gang, believed to consist of a core of three men, made it Belgium's most notorious unsolved crime spree. The active participants were known as The Giant (French: Le Géant; a tall man who may have been the leader); the Killer (Le Tueur; the main shooter) and the Old Man (Le Vieux; a middle aged man who drove). The identities and whereabouts of the "Brabant killers" are unknown. Although significant resources are still dedicated to the case, the most recent arrests are of the now-retired original senior detectives themselves, for alleged evidence tampering.
| Brabant Killings | |
|---|---|
| Part of Les Années de plomb (Years of Lead) | |
Gendarmerie-distributed poster with the likenesses of the gang's members | |
| Location | Brabant (mostly), also in East Flanders, Hainaut, and Namur, Belgium. On one occasion, in the town of Maubeuge, France. |
| Date | 31 December 1981– 9 November 1985 |
| Target | Delhaize grocery stores, arms and other retailers, motorists, etc. |
Attack type | Serial killing, mass shootings, robberies |
| Weapons | Two riot guns (possibly Winchester 1200s and/or a Franchi SPAS 12 One .45 Ingram MAC 10 submachine gun One MP5SD5 7.65mm Ortgies Semi-Automatic Pistol |
| Deaths | 28 (including a Belgian communal policeman and a gendarme) |
| Injured | 22 (including 2 French gendarmes, 2 Belgian communal police officers, and a Belgian gendarme) |
| Perpetrators | Alleged to have been career criminals and off-duty gendarmes associated with the far-right Westland New Post and VMO |
No. of participants | 4 to 10 (according to Jean Depretre, the case's former lead prosecutor) |
| Motive | Possibly far-right extremism |
| Inquiry | Various prosecutor-led investigations and a later parliamentary inquiry |
| Accused | None living are known to be under investigation. |
| Convicted | None |
| Convictions | None |
The gang abruptly ceased their activities in 1985. The ensuing chaotic investigation failed to catch them or even make serious inroads into solving the case. This led to a parliamentary inquiry and public discussion, both of which revolved around the possibility that the gang members were Belgian or foreign state security elements either carrying out covert missions (disguising targeted assassinations) or conducting political terrorism.