Police in Belgium made 116 arrests after a demonstration in Brussels over the death of a young black man who collapsed while in police custody turned violent.
What started as a peaceful protest abruptly spiraled into a violent standoff between demonstrators and police on Tuesday.
Several hundred protesters, including relatives and friends of a deceased young man identified as Ibrahima Barrie, went to a square in front of the Brussels-North police department to demand answers about the death of the 23-year-old.Despite riot police being deployed to the scene, law enforcement struggled to contain the rioters.
Closer to evening, the crowd managed to set a local police station on fire.Ibrahima Barrie was detained last weekend.
There are conflicting reports about the circumstances of his arrest.
According to his family’s lawyers, Ibrahima suddenly felt unwell and passed out soon after he arrived at the police station.
Allegedly, the officers were negligent and left Barrie unconscious for at least five minutes before taking any action.
The Brussels Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation and ordered an autopsy and toxicological examination to determine the exact cause of Barrie’s death.
