Shootings surge as drug gangs torment Brussels

Last Monday night, drug gangs turned Salvatore’s pizzeria in Brussels into a crime scene.

“We dropped to the floor. I had clients eating on the terrace with children. Look, we can see the bullet impacts everywhere.”

The restaurant sits on a small square in St Gilles, a central area near the Midi train station that attracts passengers from London and Paris.

Drug‑related shootings have become routine, with 100 in 2025 and over 65 this year. The St Gilles neighbourhood has seen three shootings in three days.

Salvatore says, “Are we in an American gangster movie? This needs to stop.”

An elderly resident, Murielle, fears the violence will drag on. She recalls earlier incidents with drug dealers who once seemed polite.

Chief of Brussels South Police, Jurgen de Landsheer, warns that gangs are adopting the tactics of Marseille, with attacks on police stations and armed shootings with heavy weapons.

In response, Belgium’s interior minister has deployed 40 extra police officers to the area and calls for prevention over repression.

Brussels’ authorities aim to offer young people a future and reduce crime, but the spike in shootings has worsened property values and community safety.