The apparent deathbed confession of a former policeman could end a series of unresolved murder cases which have baffled Belgian police for decades.
The “Crazy Brabant Killers”, as they were known, murdered 28 people in Brussels in a dozen robberies during the 1980s – mostly at supermarkets. They were never caught. Their ability to outwit police led to conspiracy theories of official cover-ups.
The gang’s members were dubbed the “The Giant”, “The Killer” and “The Old Man”. Their main target was the shops’ petty cash holdings, but they would also spontaneously gun down customers.
Belgian authorities confirmed they were following a new line of inquiry after a man came forward to say that his brother, a former police officer, had confessed to being “The Giant”. “In the beginning I was in denial because I really struggled with it, but today I can say formally that this is my brother,” the unnamed man told broadcaster VTM as he recalled how his brother had confided in him two years ago as he lay dying that he was the tall suspected ringleader of the gang.