The vanguard
06/21/2021 7:58 AM
Clarín.com
World
Updated 06/21/2021 8:17 AM
The Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office reported this Sunday the discovery of a body in a wooded area in the north of the country and confirmed that "the first elements of the investigation" suggest that it is
Jürgen Conings
, the extreme right-wing armed soldier who had threatened a well-known virologist the country and had been
missing
for a month
.
In a statement, the Prosecutor's Office indicates that the body has been found in the forests around the commune of
Dilsen-Stockem, on the
border with the Netherlands, and considers that the probable cause of death is
suicide
by firearm, although they specified that it has yet to be determined by forensic analysis.
The authorities do not plan to provide more official data at the moment, and asked for respect for the privacy of the family.
A Belgian police car leaves the place where the body was found.
Photo: AFP
A strong smell
According to the Flemish regional media Het Belang van Limburg, it was the mayor of a neighboring municipality, Johan Tollenaere, who
noticed a strong smell
while
riding a
mountain
bike
in the Dilserbos forest and alerted the police with his coordinates.
Belgian security forces had been searching since May 17 for Connings, a
heavily armed
46-year
-
old
far-right
military
man
who was already on a list of 30 far-right military security services considered potential terrorist threats.
On May 17, the soldier left the barracks where he was working armed
with a rocket launcher, a submachine gun, a pistol and a bulletproof vest
and did not return home, which triggered the alarms and triggered the search.
The place of the facts.
Photo: dpa
The next day his car was located, without license plates and with several heavy weapons inside, in the vicinity of the Hoge Kempen natural park, where the initial investigations were focused, followed by searches in the environment of the military man, whom the authorities they consider
a serious threat
to security in light of the evidence collected.
Connings had threatened various political personalities and, most notably,
virologist Marc Van Ranst
, who became known in Belgium for his public profile during the management of the coronavirus pandemic and had to be placed under surveillance with his family after the disappearance of the military.
Anti-tank shells
Anti-tank shells and ammunition had been found in Conings' car.
An image of Jurgen Conings, shaved and with tattoos, circulated through media and social networks for days.
The security forces had warned the population that this individual was unstable and that he was armed.
The soldier's last message on Twitter stated that "the threats (from the police)
have no effect on me
.
"
The Belgian press harshly criticized the authorities' negligence, as
Conings had access to the weapons
several weeks after the threats occurred.
The Threat Analysis Coordination Unit knew of the soldier's intentions,
but did not order his arrest.
ap