Council chamber postpones case surrounding Adil's death indefinitely

The Brussels council chamber postponed the case surrounding the death of 19-year-old Adil indefinitely on Tuesday. The family of the young man, who died in a collision with a police car in Anderlecht on 10 April 2020, has requested that the investigation into the fatal incident be extended.

Adil was killed during a chase with the police that started around 21.00 on the night in question when officers tried to check on two mopeds that were driving through Anderlecht at a high speed. One of those mopeds, driven by Adil, took off down a road where barriers prevented the police from following.

Another police team, who had been called in reinforcements, continued the chase when Adil emerged on a connecting street. According to the prosecutor's office, he appeared from behind a van which had obscured him and hit the police vehicle head-on. The police car is said to have driven between 17 and 25 kilometres per hour, while Adil is said to have driven between 57.6 and 70.4 kilometres per hour. It is claimed that he was not wearing his crash helmet correctly. He later died from his injuries.

Based on those elements, the prosecutor's office decided in November to request the extra-prosecution for the officers involved, including the driver of the police car, meaning those involved could be punished but escape a jail sentence.

Two weeks ago, Adil's family, through their lawyer, asked for further investigations in the case to be carried out. The investigating judge must now decide if and when the case proceeds.