The former commander of the terror cell in Verviers is part of a programme to reintegrate prisoners by means of football. He is one of 16 inmates from Lantin and Leuze prisons who act as coaches for dozens of children. (…) Sudinfo.be
January 2015: In a peaceful street in Verviers, there are war-like scenes, explosions, gunshots. Special police units have just smashed a terrorist cell. A few days after the deadly attack on the editorial office of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, this event has a special resonance in Belgium, but also beyond.
However, the investigation had started long before. The return of a Belgian jihadist from Syria triggered the attention of investigators in November 2014. Very quickly, it emerged that he had stayed in contact with his network boss, picked up two other returnees, as they are called, and brought them to a flat he had rented in Rue de la Colline in Verviers since mid-November.
January: The attack on Charlie Hebdo. Text messages are intercepted by French investigators. They warn of attacks on police officers in Belgium.
January: The flat in the Rue de la Colline is bugged by experts.
January: An accomplice turns up with a package. The three men show enthusiasm for a Kalashnikov. The law enforcement officers do not hesitate any longer: the raid takes place. It is 5:42 pm. Stun grenades, gunfire… 26-year-old Sofiane Anghar and 33-year-old Khalid Ben Larbi are shot dead. Marouane El Bali is caught in the act. All three men are from Molenbeek.
El Bali is sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Among other things, police uniforms, weapons of war, handguns and all material for the production of explosives are found in the flat. RTBF