Zele-Berlare (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On the night of October 17-18, 2025, Zele-Berlare police intercepted an intoxicated man with an axe near Kloosterstraat after he harassed women; he was detained and reported to prosecutors.
As GVA News reported, on the night of Friday to Saturday, 17-18, 2025, police in the Zele-Berlare zone, in the province of East Flanders, Belgium, stopped a man carrying an axe near the Kloosterstraat nightlife area.
Earlier, they had been called after reports that he had harassed several women in the busy district. Witnesses said he had drunk too much and that some bystanders had tried to stop him physically. Police arrived quickly and monitored the situation to prevent further trouble.
What happened when an intoxicated man carried an axe in Zele-Berlare?
After a brief interval of leaving the area, the man returned armed with an axe, and it seemed as though he was on his way back to the nightlife district again before officers apprehended him. Police spokesperson Geert De Keukelaere said the intervention took place before he was able to reach any crowds and that the action taken by policing prevented anyone from being placed in danger. The authorities created a report and referred it to the public prosecutor for investigation. There were no reported injuries.
Similar incidents have previously occurred in Belgium, raising questions about levels of safety in busy areas. In August 2023, in Namur, a man caused havoc in his apartment building, and other neighbours attempted to intervene with an axe.
He suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. It was reported that both of the neighbours were drunk and that the authorities had detained both. In March 2019, a man in Molenbeek, Brussels, attacked someone in a café with an axe after a previous fight. The victim was seriously injured but survived, and the attacker was arrested.
