Belgian police officers protect the perimeter where the body of a radicalized soldier was discovered on June 20, 2021. – JOHN THYS / AFP
The radicalized far-right soldier Jürgen Conings was “found dead”, announced this Sunday in a joint statement the Minister and the Head of Defense of Belgium, confirming that the corpse found Sunday was his.
This confirmation comes after a press release from the prosecution which had indicated that “according to the first elements of the investigation”, the body found in eastern Belgium is that of the soldier, wanted for more than a month.
He would have committed suicide
This affair shook the Belgian defense because of the loopholes in the surveillance of radicalized elements within the army. According to the first findings, the cause of death is attributable to a suicide by firearm which will have to be confirmed by a forensic expertise, the prosecution said in a statement.
“According to the first elements of the investigation, it would be Conings Jürgen, disappeared since May 17, 2021”, according to this source. Considered dangerous, the 46-year-old soldier, registered by the Belgian organization for analyzing the terrorist threat (Ocam), was suspected of wanting to attack the Belgian state and a known virologist in the country.
A virologist placed under protection
He still had access to weapons and ammunition in his barracks. Four anti-tank rocket launchers and ammunition had been found in his abandoned vehicle and he was likely in possession of lighter weaponry during his run.
The man’s body was discovered by walkers in the woods of the town of Dilsen-Stockem, in an area where searches had been carried out several times after the discovery of his vehicle, on May 18 the day after his flight .
According to letters found by investigators, Conings seemed determined to attack state officials and Belgian virologist Marc Van Ranst, a high-profile expert in the coronavirus pandemic. The latter had since been placed under police protection as well as his family in an undisclosed location.
An investigation opened for “attempted assassination in a terrorist context”
An examining magistrate had been seized of an investigation for “attempted assassination in a terrorist context”. Conings had been placed on the Ocam list last February but neither the hierarchies of the Ministry of Defense nor that of military intelligence had been informed of this listing.
He had been sanctioned by his hierarchy in 2020 because of his radicalized profile and racist comments on Facebook, by the withdrawal of his security clearance. But as an assistant to military instructors preparing candidates for missions abroad, he had access to the weapons depot.
Since the flight from Conings, 12 soldiers have been removed from depots and sensitive places because of their radical views. The Belgian government has undertaken to tighten the rules on access to armaments and several internal investigations have been launched.