Brussels police break up false documents factory

Police in Saint-Gilles in Brussels have broken up a studio for the manufacture of false identity documents. The discovery was made when terrorism investigators from the federal judicial police went looking for a terrorism suspect.

The man in question was not present at the address in Rue des Fortifications when police came calling at 5.00; instead they found a professional studio equipped with scanners and photocopiers, capable of making high-quality fake ID documents.

The studio is not suspected of terrorist links and the investigation has been handed over to the division of the Brussels prosecutor’s office that deals with human trafficking, according to a spokesperson. During the search, three asylum-seekers were found in one of the flats, but they were not suspected of a link with the studio.