Publication date: January 23, 2024 14:48
An immigration officer shows a chart detailing the arrest of fugitive Akmal, 36, in Phuket. The suspect, a dual citizen of Belgium and Morocco, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Belgium in 2014 for attempted murder by road rage. (Photo: Immigration Bureau)
A 36-year-old fugitive sentenced to prison for attempted murder in Belgium was arrested in Phuket while working as a DJ at a nightspot in Patong.
The man, identified by police only as Akmal, 36, was detained by Phuket Immigration Police at an apartment in Patong Beach, Immigration Department deputy director-general Pol Maj Gen Phantana Nuchanath announced on Tuesday.
Akmal, a dual Belgian-Moroccan citizen, was wanted in Belgium on charges of attempted murder, illegal possession of a firearm, and illegal possession of ammunition and gun accessories. The suspect said the charges are related to a road rage shooting that occurred in Belgium on January 19, 2014.
The suspect was tracked down and arrested on orders from the Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General asked the police to hand him over to prosecutors in the International Division for extradition to Belgium.
The Brussels Court of Appeal sentenced the suspect to 10 years in prison, immigration police said.
Police said Akmal had entered Thailand multiple times using a Belgian passport. He also continued to change his residence, entering Morocco using a Moroccan passport and staying in Bangkok, Sisaket, and Phuket.
He was eventually tracked to an apartment in Patong Beach, where he was working as a DJ at a bar in Patong.