A 13-year-old boy was kidnapped from his home in Genk in June 2020 by men dressed as police officers. After 42 days with his kidnappers and the payment of a ransom of 330,000 euros, the teenager was able to return home safely. Very soon, the investigation pointed to the family of Khalid Bouloudo and L., who were known for their connections to terrorist groups. In the meantime, all suspects are at large without electronic ankle bracelets, as Het Laatste Nieuws reports.
L. and Khalid Bouloudo both have a long history. The former was even called a “friend of Bin Laden” at the time. In 2018, he was found guilty of leading a terrorist group between April 7 and June 8, 2013. The deferment of his prison sentence was subject to conditions, such as having a permanent address, actively looking for work or undergoing vocational training. Although he was still targeted by the judiciary, investigators believe that he may have organised the hostage-taking and kidnapping of the little boy from Genk anyway.
Khalid Bouloudo was sentenced to five years in prison for terrorism in 2006. At the time, he and twelve other men founded the Belgian cell of the Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain (GICM), a terrorist organisation allegedly responsible for the attacks in Casablanca in 2003 and Madrid in 2004. 7sur7.be