Student (25) tragically stabbed to death after refusing cigarette in Brussels

brussels - A 25-year-old student of Singaporean descent was fatally stabbed in the heart of Brussels after refusing a cigarette.

A student of Singaporean descent was stabbed in the stomach after refusing a cigarette in Brussels. The victim had met two female students from Brussels earlier that evening. The trio was harassed by two young men at the Beurs, one of whom was on a scooter. They asked the victim for a cigarette and then demanded his phone, which he refused.

The group headed towards Sint-Pietersstraat, where the two students resided. The men followed them, and another confrontation took place outside the students' residence at half past two in the morning. One of the men pulled out a knife, the victim tried to defend himself but was stabbed in the stomach. His friends immediately called for help, and the perpetrators fled.

"The officers arrived quickly and found a man injured by a knife wound to his stomach," said Yasmina Vanoverschelde, a spokesperson for the Brussels public prosecutor's office. "The officers provided first aid to the victim until the emergency services arrived. The victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

"The victim was a 25-year-old man of Singaporean descent studying in Belgium. Initial findings suggest that the victim was approached by the two suspects, leading to a confrontation that resulted in a stabbing," said the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office. A bloodied knife, likely the weapon used in the attack, was found near the scene. Two 18-year-old suspects were swiftly identified and arrested by the police.