Veerle Laakdal stabbing suspect arrested Tuesday for attempted murder

Laakdal (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The suspected perpetrator of the Veerle (Laakdal) stabbing incident is now under arrest, according to the investigating judge, for attempted murder. The Antwerp public prosecutor’s office disclosed this information. The stable female survivor is ready to provide minimal answers through interrogation.

The 53-year-old attacker who stabbed his 49-year-old neighbour in Veerle (Laakdal) faces arrest for attempted murder. Public prosecutors in Antwerp confirmed the arrest, which took place in a wooded area of Tessenderlo. Medical staff stabilised the female victim after her critical condition before police questioned her for a brief period.

A violent confrontation between the two parties took place next to the victim’s Veerledorp residence, which led to the stabbing of the woman. Emergency medical responders rushed to the scene and then transported the victim to the hospital while maintaining a critical health status. The assailant escaped the crime scene before authorities located him disoriented while searching through the woods near Tessenderlo.

The public prosecutor’s office remains silent about the suspected reasons leading to the attack as well as the full content of the victim’s statement. The investigating judge conducted a formal arrest of the murder suspect on Thursday but the legal process continues in a pending status.

How common are violent crimes in Laakdal and surrounding areas?

Statbel reports that Antwerp province achieved a modest decrease in violent crimes during 2022, with a total of 4,832 incidents compared to past years. Reports show knife-related assaults made up about 12% of total violent cases in this region.

Local law enforcement statistics show neighbours fighting and household arguments rank among the key factors behind violent crime occurrences in Laakdal and other nearby towns.

The values from regional security reports indicate that police interventions for public disturbances in Tessenderlo increased by 9% since 2020.

Laakdal shows minimal occurrences of attempted homicides throughout the past five years because serious violent crimes are rare within the region. The country of Belgium records a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 inhabitants, which falls below the pan-European average of 2.1 as presented by Eurostat in 2023.

The Antwerp Emergency Services Directorate indicates that emergency response time in Antwerp’s rural municipalities stays at an average of 8 minutes. Hospitals operating in the region claim that 95% of stabbing patients survive if medical staff reach them within ten minutes of the assault. Judicial records demonstrate that pre-trial detention occurs for 78% of Flanders‘ attempted murder cases, which typically resolve within 14 months.