The Brabant Killers

The Brabant Killers carried out a series of violent robberies in Belgium between 1982 and 1985, leaving 28 people dead. The identities of the core perpetrators remain unknown.

A violent series of raids

Between 1982 and 1985, a group later known as the Brabant Killers carried out robberies and attacks across Belgium. Supermarkets were among the targets, and the violence often appeared disproportionate to the value of what was stolen.

Twenty-eight deaths

The series left 28 people dead and many more injured. Witnesses and investigators described a core group of offenders using nicknames such as “the Giant,” “the Killer” and “the Old Man,” but those labels never led to confirmed identities.

Decades of theories

Investigators examined organized crime, extremist networks, corrupt officials and ordinary robbery motives. Searches, suspect reviews and forensic re-examinations continued for decades, but no theory produced a prosecution that resolved the case.

Belgium’s most famous cold case

The Brabant attacks remain one of Belgium’s most notorious unsolved crime sprees. The case has also become a symbol of institutional fragmentation because the original inquiries involved multiple police and judicial bodies before later reforms changed how major investigations were coordinated.