Hachem Raïan, "Belgium's Most Wanted", arrested in Tourcoing after months of manhunt
Belgian Hachem Raïan, sentenced to 14 years for a Kalashnikov shooting in Forest, was detained on Tuesday evening in Tourcoing. He has been on Belgium's Most Wanted and EU Most Wanted lists since May 2026.
Shooting in Forest: Belgium's most-wanted suspect arrested in France
Hachem Raïan was detained on Tuesday around 20:00 in Tourcoing, in northern France, according to lalibre.be citing Belgian federal police. The man has been on Belgium's Most Wanted and EU Most Wanted lists since May 2026.
His arrest is the result of an international investigation conducted over several months under the direction of the Brussels public prosecutor's office. Several countries contributed actively to the operation, in which the federal police invested, according to the force, "significant operational resources as well as a considerable number of working hours".
Raïan has been subject to several convictions for shootings committed in Brussels. At the end of January, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his involvement in a Kalashnikov shooting that occurred in March 2024 on the esplanade of Saint-Antoine, in Forest. Several bullets had then pierced the façades of residential buildings overlooking the square. Three people were wounded, one of whom had found themselves between life and death.
Hachem Raïan is of Belgian nationality. His arrest "demonstrates that the fight against serious violence affecting several neighbourhoods in Brussels remains a priority for police and the judiciary", states the federal police.
Source: 7sur7 Faits Divers