Boy in serious condition after being set on fire in Anderlecht

A 15-year-old boy remains in a serious condition after being deliberately set on fire in Anderlecht at the weekend, in an incident that has shocked residents and reignited concern about youth violence in Brussels.

The attack took place on Saturday evening on a public square on Quai de Biestebroeck in Anderlecht. In an act of desperation, he jumped into the canal to extinguish the fire and was rescued by a friend. Emergency services and he was transferred to hospital, where doctors placed him in an induced coma.

Anderlecht mayor Fabrice Cumps said there had been a slight improvement in the victim’s condition.

“The victim’s overall condition is obviously still serious. He is in an induced coma, but can occasionally come out of it and communicate with his parents. That’s already a first piece of good news.”

According to the Halle-Vilvoorde public prosecutor’s office, multiple suspects are involved, all of them minors.

“A 14-year-old boy was taken into custody and questioned,” said Melanie Geeraerts, spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office. “He will be brought before a juvenile judge.”

A 16-year-old suspect from Dendermonde has already been placed in a youth institution, while a third minor has come forward to police. The investigation is being handled by the youth court, given the ages of those involved.

The victim’s mother, Allahih, has rejected any suggestion that the incident was an accident or a game that went too far.

“He’s fed through a tube in his nose and can barely move. Seeing my child lying there like that breaks my heart,” she said.

She explained that the violence followed a minor dispute earlier that day. “It was something trivial. Someone looked at someone else for too long, and they felt threatened,” she told Het Laaste Nieuws.

“They wanted to sort it out on the square that evening. Zakaria was too proud not to respond, unfortunately.”

Mayor Fabrice Cumps described the incident as incredibly alarming. “What’s most striking is the barbarity displayed by the perpetrators, and therefore the extreme violence that’s becoming common. Going so far as to burn someone else alive is something that’s truly worrying,” he said.

The case has intensified debate about youth violence, supervision and prevention in Brussels, as well as the level that parents and schools should be involved. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing and that support services have been offered to the victim’s family.