Death of Albanian employee paralyzes Brussels
10/04/2012 00:00
Linda Rama: Between Family, Work and Albania’s Future 18/08 14:30
Belgian government told striking public transport workers that
400 extra police officers will be deployed in Brussels, after a
transport inspector was fatally punched.
The victim is Iliaz Tahiraj, 56, an Albanian inspector for the STIB transport network with 29 years’ service.
The assault triggered a shutdown of the capital’s metro and bus network over the Easter weekend. The system remained paralyzed on Tuesday.
The Albanian inspector was assaulted at the scene of a collision involving a car and a bus. He died of head injuries.
Brussels is the headquarters of the European Commission and Nato and is a magnet for many international organizations.
The assailant, 28, was reported to be a passenger in the car that crashed, and allegedly punched the inspector in the face, knocking him down. He died later in hospital.
According to witnesses and the suspect himself, there was just one punch to the inspector’s face, the Brussels prosecutor’s office said.
Hundreds of his STIB colleagues marched through central Brussels on Monday to show their outrage over his death.
The pledge of extra security came after talks on Monday between officials from the federal and Brussels governments, the STIB management and transport unions.
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