Bomb hoaxer must pay €380,000 damages

A 21-year-old man has been ordered to pay €380,000 in damages for making a series of hoax bomb alerts in Brussels, Charleroi, Mons and Liège.

Brussels criminal court found the man guilty of making false bomb threats between October and December 2016, which in Brussels led to the evacuation of the prosecutor's office, a court building and North Station.

The SNCB, railtrack operator Infrabel and the Brussels-Ixelles police force were among the civil claimants in the case. They sought damages for wasted time and the complete shutdown of rail services through Brussels for several hours.

The man must also carry out 300 hours of community service - the maximum penalty possible - and pay a €300 fine.