Transport error delays high-profile Belgian terror trial

A high-profile terror trial here had to be delayed on Monday after prison authorities failed to arrange transport for one of the suspects, a double amputee, local media reported.

According to Flemish public broadcaster VRT, one of the six men due to start trial Monday had both of his legs amputated and, because of this, needed to travel to the courthouse in an ambulance, which failed to materialize.

The suspect's lawyer, Christophe Marchand, told the broadcaster: "They have known for months that he cannot be transported in an ordinary prison van."

VRT reported that the suspect was a former soldier in the Belgian army, who had lost his legs in a grenade blast while fighting for the radical Islamist Al-Nusra Front in Syria in 2014.

The trial, which is expected to last two weeks, will resume later on Monday, VRT added.

The six defendants are accused of belonging to an organization linked to Al-Shabaab, the radical movement active in Somalia and Kenya. Endit