Around 4 p.m., a suspicious package was reported in the parking lot of the Stockel Square shopping mall, in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. Police carried out an evacuation of the Stockel shopping center and metro station before the arrival of mine clearance services. The suitcase could contain a radioactive element, the Federal Nuclear Control Agency is on its way.
At the end of the afternoon, in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, a shopping center and a metro station were urgently evacuated. Many of you have sent us a message via the orange Alert us button. “Emergency evacuation of the Stockel Square gallery by police and ambulance“, indicates Anaïs, while David explains: “Suspicious package at Stockel station no more metro, police on site“. Facts that Jonathan and Haluk corroborate: “Parcel bomb in the Stockel car park“, “Large police deployment in Stockel, gallery evacuated“.
The entire parking lot is blocked
What is really happening? Contacted by us, the mayor of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre indicates that a suitcase was left in the morning in the shopping center parking lot. The suitcase could contain radioactive elements: “Mine clearance is still on site, but it is a suitcase that does not contain explosives, but it could contain radioactive contents. We are in contact with the Federal Nuclear Control Agency“, explains Mayor Benoît Cerexhe. One of the surprising details in this affair is that the suitcase was wrapped like a gift. “It’s still special“, recognizes the mayor of the commune.
“There has already been a first approach through mine clearance, the firefighters are there. Depending on the findings of the firefighters and mine clearance, we will make a decision on the fate of this suitcase. We’re not taking any risks.“
Ultimately, it is the Federal Nuclear Control Agency which will have to go on site to take charge of the suspicious suitcase. The suspicion that it is a radioactive object therefore seems to be confirmed.
Evacuation
Shortly before 4 p.m., security guards urgently evacuated the Stockel Square parking lot. Norbert tells us: “My daughter is at daycare at the end of the parking lot, a guard told us that we had to evacuate for health reasons. The entire parking lot is blocked at the rear of Stockel Square. I saw the police arrive and the bomb disposal service“. Norbert does not hide his concern about the enthusiasm of the authorities and the emergency services, given the proximity to the crèche.
“All cars in the parking lot had to be evacuated urgently“, he adds.
The spokesperson for the Montgomery police zone, Michaël Jonniaux, confirmed the commotion caused Thursday afternoon by the presence of this suspicious package near the Stockel metro station, in the outdoor parking lot of Stockel Square .
A closed metro station
The Stockel metro station had been closed on police orders. ““From what we have been told, the suspicious package is outside.” explains Françoise Ledune, spokesperson for STIB. “We closed and evacuated the station, we have no news“, she continues. Traffic would have been restored at the end of the afternoon. The latter was able to reopen around 5:45 p.m.
According to him, the security perimeter established in consultation with the army mine clearance service (Sedee), initially included the Stockel metro station. After the first Sedee analysis, the scope was reduced to the strict minimum.
At the start of the evening, motorists were able to once again access their vehicles stored in the parking lot;
stockel Square evacuation Parcel stockel metro alert
