Belgian authorities are seeking the extradition of a convicted arms trafficker who was arrested in Portugal this week after a year-long run from justice.

Federal police said Friday that they finally picked up Jacques Monsieur's trail when they monitored the transport of nine horses to an estate in Evora in eastern Portugal, where the equine enthusiast was finally caught.

Police said in a statement that "the fugitive had a secret hideaway in a big mansion next to the stables." Police said Monsieur had been convicted and sentenced to four years in prison last year for illegal arms trafficking to several nations including Libya.

In 2010, he had already been sentenced to two years imprisonment in the United States on arms trafficking charges. </s> BRUSSELS - Belgian authorities are seeking the extradition of a convicted arms trafficker who was arrested in Portugal this week after a year-long run from justice.

Federal police said Friday that they finally picked up Jacques Monsieur’s trail when they monitored the transport of nine horses to an estate in Evora in eastern Portugal, where the equine enthusiast was finally caught.

Police said in a statement that “the fugitive had a secret hideaway in a big mansion next to the stables.” Police said Monsieur had been convicted and sentenced to four years in prison last year for illegal arms trafficking to several nations including Libya.

In 2010, he had already been sentenced to two years imprisonment in the United States on arms trafficking charges.

Get more of the Star in your inbox Never miss the latest news from the Star. Sign up for our newsletters to get today's top stories, your favourite columnists and lots more in your inbox Sign Up Now </s> Jacques Monsieur, a notorious arms trafficker sentenced last year to four years in prison by a court in Belgium but since then a fugitive, has been arrested in a small village in Portugal, the federal police confirmed, after a report by VTM News.

Monsieur has a long history of dubious and downright illegal arms trades, and is known to law enforcement authorities the world over. In June 2017 he was sentenced to three years and fined 300,000 euros for having delivered automatic weapons, ammunition, tanks helicopters planes and other military equipment to countries at war, including Libya, Chad, Pakistan and Iran, in breach of international sanctions.

His history, according to VTM, dates back to the 1980s, when he supplied arms to Iran in the long war with Iraq. Since then he has had convictions in the United States, in connection with the notorious Iran-Contra affair, and in France. According to VTM, there has not been an armed conflict in the last 35 years in which he was not involved as a trafficker of weapons.

He appealed the conviction, and the Court of Appeal in Brussels last year responded by increasing his sentence to four years, and bumping his fine up to 1.2 million euros.

He took flight, and proved untraceable for a time. He is known to own a farm in Tarascon in France, where he owns a number of horses. The place was searched and placed under surveillance, but there was no sign of Monsieur.

Then last month, nine of his horses were transported to Portugal, and the trace was followed by the Fugitive Action Search Team (FAST) of the federal police, who finally tracked Monsieur down to a discreet property with stables.

He will appear before a court in Portugal today, where Belgium will request his extradition to allow him to serve his sentence. </s> Two Belgian universities have been ranked in the world top 100, a fugitive Belgian arms dealer has been arrested in Portugal and Brussels airport cargo handlers are in the red once more.

Here’s a recap of the news you should know in Belgium this morning:

According to the Shanghai Academic Ranking, an annual ranking of universities, both the University of Ghent and the University of Leuven are in the world’s top 100 universities. The University of Ghent comes in at number 66, while the University of Leuven comes in 85th place. Read more.

2. Train service reduced by half on Saturday due to strike

One in two trains will run on Saturday, 17 August, due to the train strike called by the Railway Workers’ Union. However, 70% of trains are confirmed for the Pukkelpop festival in Hasselt. Read more.

A notorious arms trafficker who was sentenced in 2018 to four years in prison and has since been a fugitive, has been arrested in Portugal. According to VTM, there has not been an armed conflict in 35 years in which he was not involved as a trafficker of weapons. Read more.

A 38-year-old man was stabbed during a brawl in Roquefort on the evening of 10 to 11 of August and has since died. The suspect will appear before the Namur Council Chamber on Friday. Read more.

5. Up to 30% of total food produced worldwide is lost or wasted

A new report released by the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reveals that land is being put under critical pressure from both human activity and climate change. The report recommends better land management and food production for tackling climate change and, according to an IPCC spokesperson, was written for the most part by authors from developing countries. Read more.

6. Brussels Airport cargo handlers again in the red

Brussels Airport’s rival cargo handlers, Swissport Belgium and Aviapartner Belgium, were both operating at a loss in 2018. The two companies stressed in their final reports that they have been taking measures to improve their finances. Read more.

7. Colleagues of dead firemen come to the aid of bereaved families

Colleagues of the two firemen who died last Sunday in a fire in Beringen in Limburg province will donate their bonuses to the families of the dead firemen. According to the Commander of the North Limburg zone, death allowances for firefighters are not satisfactory. Read more. </s> Le trafiquant d’armes belge Jacques Monsieur a été arrêté ce mercredi soir à Herdade do Jambujal, Evora au Portugal, a indiqué la police fédérale, confirmant une information de VTM. Il avait été condamné l’année dernière à une peine de prison de 4 ans et une amende de 1,2 million d’euros pour avoir livré des armes illégalement à la Libye, le Tchad, le Pakistan et l’Iran.

Condamné en 2017

Jacques Monsieur est l’un des plus grands trafiquants d’armes au monde. En 2017, il est reconnu coupable d’avoir livré illégalement entre 2006 et 2009 des centaines d’armes automatiques, munitions, tanks, hélicoptères, avions et autres matériels militaires à des pays en guerre. Il est condamné à trois ans de prison et une amende de 300.000 euros.

Jacques Monsieur a fait appel de la décision. En octobre dernier, il est finalement condamné à une peine plus lourde : 4 ans de prison et une amende de 1,2 million d’euros. Il est notamment condamné pour appartenance à un gang criminel, contrairement au premier jugement.

Une vraie traque

Suite à ce jugement, il s’est enfui et vivait caché à Evora au Portugal, où il a été arrêté par une équipe spéciale FAST à la demande du tribunal belge. Un mandat d’arrêt international avait été délivré. Sa trace avait été trouvée à Tarascon en France, où il a acheté une maison de campagne au mois de mars. Il possédait également un nombre conséquent de chevaux. Le mois dernier, neuf bêtes ont été emmenées au Portugal par un éleveur français. Le prix du transport (2.500 euros) n’a jamais été réglé mais cette piste a été très utile aux enquêteurs du FAST puisqu’elle les a conduits à Evora.

C’est la collaboration intense entre les forces de l’ordre belges, françaises et portugaises qui a permis l’arrestation de Jacques Monsieur, dans une discrète maison de campagne avec écurie. Il comparaîtra ce vendredi devant un tribunal portugais. La Belgique réclame son extradition pour qu’il puisse purger sa peine.

Bien connu de la justice

Originaire du Brabant flamand, l’homme était connu internationalement. Il y a une dizaine d’années, il avait été condamné pour des faits similaires aux États-Unis et en France. Selon VTM, il n’y a pas eu un conflit armé au cours de ces 35 dernières années dans lequel Jacques Monsieur n’a pas été impliqué. Dans les années 80 déjà, il avait fourni à l’Iran des armes pendant la guerre contre l’Irak. </s> A Belgian court on Monday found 2015 Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam and an accomplice guilty of attempted murder over shots fired at police as they sought to avoid arrest in Brussels.

The court handed both Abdeslam, Europe’s most wanted fugitive at the time, and Sofiane Ayari the maximum 20-year sentence.

It said the “terror character” was clearly established in the March 2016 shooting, four months after the Paris attacks that killed 130. Abdeslam was close to being arrested in a hideout when he and Ayari fled while another man sprayed gunfire at police and was killed. Three officers were wounded.

His lawyer Sven Mary said it remains to be seen whether Abdeslam will seek to appeal his sentence. He has 30 days to decide. Mary insisted it is unclear whether Abdeslam himself had fired shots at officers trying to break into the hideout.

“If there is doubt, he should have been let go, it’s that simple,” Mary said.

Abdeslam attended the opening day of the trial in February but has refused to co-operate since. He is being held in a French prison. Ayari was also absent.

It is unclear when Abdeslam will face trial over the Paris attacks but it is expected to take several years.

The conclusion of the case at Brussels’ ornate palace of justice took place amid tight security set up by the armed forces and police.

“As all our demands have been met we can be satisfied, said Maryse Alie, a lawyer for the police. ”The judgment says that firing at policemen on duty is a very serious crime.“

Ayari is a Tunisian who fought with the Islamic State group for a year before heading to Europe. By the time he and Abdeslam began hiding in the upstairs apartment in central Brussels, police had raided more than a dozen locations in Belgium with little to show for it.

On the afternoon of March 15, 2016, they battered down yet another door. This time, it was to the staccato of an assault rifle. An IS fighter opened fire on the officers, who had only service weapons, while Abdeslam and Ayari darted onto a rooftop, broke into a neighbouring apartment and escaped, authorities said.

The fugitives left behind a Kalashnikov, ammunition clips, a cellphone and a tunic — their DNA was everywhere, according to court testimony.

Three days after the shooting spree, Abdeslam was captured in Brussels. Four days after that, extremists struck in the Belgian capital, killing 32 people in bomb attacks at the airport and on the subway system. </s> ANTWERP, BELGIUM: Police in the northern Belgian city of Antwerp said yesterday they had detained a man who tried to enter the main pedestrianised shopping street in a car at high speed, adding that security in the city would be stepped up.

"At about 11am (6pm, Singapore time) a vehicle entered De Meir at high speed due to which pedestrians had to jump away," a police spokesman said, referring to the street name.

He added that the driver was arrested and additional police and military personnel had been deployed to the centre of Antwerp, Reuters reported.

"Different arms were found in the boot - bladed weapons, a riot gun (rifle) and a container of liquid that is still unidentifiable," a prosecutor's statement said.

Antwerp police chief Serge Muyters said: "Our army colleagues spotted it and tried to bring the vehicle to a halt. But the driver broke free and drove through the red light towards the port quays.

"The suspect, a man of north African origin, was immediately arrested."

The federal prosecutor's office, which has taken over the investigation, named the suspect as Mohamed R, a 39-year-old resident of France.

An army disposal squad was sent to the scene. </s> An Iranian diplomat has been arrested along with two people suspected of plotting a bomb attack on a meeting of an exiled Iranian opposition group in France, Belgian authorities said yesterday.

President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani and several former European and Arab ministers were among those attending the meeting of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran.

The two suspects in Belgium were intercepted by Belgian police on Saturday, with 500 grams of TATP, a home-made explosive produced of easily available chemicals, as well as a detonation device found in their car, a joint statement by the Belgian prosecutor and the intelligence services said.

The 38-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman, identified only as Amir S. and Nasimeh N., were charged with attempted terrorist murder and preparation of a terrorist act, it said.

Two arrests linked to the Belgian case were made in France and Germany. The person arrested in Germany was a diplomat at the Iranian embassy in the Austrian capital Vienna, the Belgian statement said.

Staff at the embassy said the ambassador was not immediately available for comment. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is due to visit Austria tomorrow.

The Belgian statement gave no further details about diplomat, other than saying they were suspected of having been in contact with the Belgian pair arrested. It gave no details about the fourth suspect, arrested in France.

NCRI is an umbrella bloc of opposition groups in exile that seek an end to Shiite Muslim clerical rule in Iran. </s> (Belga) Le parquet fédéral assigne à nouveau le trafiquant d'armes Jacques Monsieur devant le tribunal correctionnel. Le Belge de 64 ans, déjà condamné en France, aux Etats-Unis et en Belgique pour trafic d'armes, comparaît cette fois parce qu'il est soupçonné d'avoir livré entre 2006 et 2009 des armes et du matériel militaire en Libye, au Tchad, au Pakistan et en Iran, notamment. Le procès se tiendra le 28 avril devant la 47e chambre du tribunal correctionnel de Bruxelles.

Jacques Monsieur, originaire de Hal et surnommé "The Fox" ou "Le Maréchal", est actif dans le trafic d'armes depuis les années '80 du siècle dernier. Il a notamment joué un rôle clé dans le scandale Irangate, soit la livraison d'armes à l'Iran pendant la guerre Iran-Irak. Durant la guerre civile en ex-Yougoslavie, il a par ailleurs livré des armes iraniennes aux troupes bosniaques et croates. Toujours dans le domaine des armes, Monsieur a également sévi comme trafiquant en Amérique latine, en Asie et sur le continent africain. Son nom apparaît encore dans le cadre de l'affaire Elf qui a secoué la France. La justice française l'avait d'ailleurs condamné en 2008 à quatre ans de prison avec sursis. Chez nous, Jacques Monsieur a été condamné par défaut en octobre 2001 à cinq ans de prison par le tribunal correctionnel de Bruxelles pour trafic d'armes à destination de l'Iran, de la Chine, de l'Équateur, du Burundi et de la Croatie, pour escroquerie, abus de confiance, faux en écriture et blanchiment, entre 1986 et 2000. Monsieur avait fait opposition et sa condamnation avait été ramenée à une peine de 40 mois avec sursis. En août 2009, Monsieur a été interpellé à l'aéroport de New York. Il était accusé de complot en vue de vendre des moteurs d'avions de combat F5 à l'Iran. Bien que l'homme risquait une peine de 65 ans de prison, un tribunal de l'Alabama lui a finalement infligé 23 mois de détention. Il semble que non seulement Monsieur ait plaidé coupable aux Etats-Unis mais aussi qu'il ait dévoilé aux autorités américaines une mine d'informations sur l'armée iranienne et le programme nucléaire iranien. En avril 2011, il était sorti de prison aux Etats-Unis et n'a plus été poursuivi depuis. Il s'est très probablement retiré dans son domicile de Tarascon (sud-est de la France) où il élève depuis des années des chevaux de race. Vendredi prochain, Jacques Monsieur devra revenir s'expliquer devant le tribunal de Bruxelles. On lui reproche d'avoir livré 100.000 armes automatiques en Libye, 10 tanks et 5 hélicoptères en Guinée-Bissau, 200.000 armes automatiques et munitions, quatre hélicoptères de combat et deux avions de chasse au Tchad, des lance-missiles au Pakistan et du matériel militaire en Iran. (Belga)
Belgian Federal Police confirm that fugitive Belgian large weapons smuggler and arms trafficker Jacques Monsieur was arrested in Portugal yesterday.