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Belgian court rejects request to free Jewish museum shooting suspect

Xinhua, March 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

A Belgian court has rejected a request to free the main suspect in the Brussels Jewish Museum shooting, Medhi Nemmouche, after his lawyers claimed that his ongoing detention was "illegal."

Lawyers representing Nemmouche had argued that their client should be released following a change in the law on preventative detention before trial. The Brussels court rejected this argument and extended his time in custody by one month.

The law at the center of the argument, called "Potpourri II," came into force on Feb. 29 and requires that suspects in custody in relation to the most serious crimes should appear in court each month ahead of trial to decide on an extension of their custody, instead of the previous three months.

According to Belgian newspaper La Derniere Heure, Nemmouche's lawyers believed that their client's detention was illegal and the latest three-month extension of his preventative custody had no legal basis. The lawyers can still appeal against the court's decision. Endit