Reinforcement police have been requested at Brussels Airport, Belgium, following a stabbing on 28 April 2026 that resulted in the hospitalisation of one man and led authorities to “question the overall safety of all passengers at our airport.”
The incident allegedly involved two men of no fixed abode, one of whom the public prosecutor said was “gravely injured” with a box cutter and taken to hospital for surgery, while the other was reportedly arrested by law enforcement officers. No motive for the attack has yet been reported.
Brussels Airport was the scene of a terrorist plot that killed 32 people just over a decade ago in March 2016. It has also been linked to drug trafficking activity, with recent accusations that it is the scene of a huge spike in the illegal transport of narcotics. Around nine tonnes of drugs were seized there in 2025, according to figures revealed at the annual press conference of Belgium’s General Administration of Customs and Excise (AAD&A). That’s double the quantity seized the previous year. Police say a small number of corrupt employees have helped to facilitate the illegal imports.
In addition, the airport began closing its doors between midnight and 3 am in 2023 due to an increasing homelessness problem. “Normally the airport is indeed open 24/7, but it is now a temporary closure of a few weeks”, said spokesperson Ihsane Chioua Lekhli at the time. Reporters at HLN, said there were about 75 homeless people living on the premises, in 2023.
However, the transport hub handles tens of millions of passengers every year. In 2025, it welcomed 24.4 million, making the latest violence a relatively isolated occurrence. Yet, Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele has responded to the event with a call for stricter policing—especially of vulnerable communities.
“The pressure on safety and public order is real today, partly due to nuisance and homelessness in and around the airport,” Diependaele said. “Urgent reinforcement is needed so that the police can fully resume their role and travellers can count on a safe and efficient arrival, every single day.”
Diependaele is a known critic of airport operations who has frequently questioned the efficiency of passport control processes and is now raising the matter of the “overall safety of all passengers at our airport.” His motive? In his words, the “clear impact on Flanders,” which means he is “following this case closely.” Diependaele is a member of N-VA, a Flemish nationalist, conservative political party established in 2001 by a right-leaning faction from the centrist-nationalist movement.
