The jurors also took into account the fact that Dardour and Jeddi fled to Marseille directly after the events, then abandoned their vehicle in a parking lot after pouring the contents of a fire extinguisher into it. A gesture that can only be seen as an attempt to hide various traces.
The jurors, on the other hand, acquitted Younes Bakkali, who was suspected of having warned Dardour and Jeddi of the presence of Soufiane Benali on the evening of the events. They followed the attorney general who considered that there was no proof of any act of corruption, not even complicity, on the part of Younes Bakkali. The magistrate maintained that the young man had been the victim of unfounded denunciations.
On July 5, 2020 around 12:30 a.m., shots rang out on rue Alfred Orban in Forest. The lifeless body of Soufiane Benali, a 23-year-old man living in the neighborhood, was found lying in front of a laundry room. Two other individuals were injured.
The investigations were entrusted to the “Silva” brigade of the Brussels-Midi police zone, before passing into the hands of the federal judicial police (PJF) of Brussels due to serious errors committed by the “Silva” brigade.
Mohamed-Amine Dardour, Youssef Jeddi and Younes Bakkali were accused of being author or co-author of the assassination of Soufiane Benali and attempted assassination of the two other victims. According to the investigation, Dardour and Jeddi were the shooters, while Bakkali would have warned the first two of the presence of Soufiane Benali in front of the laundry room.
Mohamed-Amine Dardour was at the head of a criminal association active in the sale of cannabis and cocaine since 2018, one of the “points of sale” of which was the Orban district according to the file. He had decided to attack Soufiane Benali because he competed with him.
The sentencing debate will be held on Wednesday.
