Man Who Attacked Ex-Wife Crashes During Police Chase
A 36-year-old man who attacked his ex-wife with a knife in front of their child on Saturday afternoon crashed his vehicle through a garage door during a police pursuit in Antwerp hours later, according to Het Laatste Nieuws. The resident of the garage, the man’s ex-mother-in-law, was inside at the moment of impact and sustained light injuries.
The Attack in Mortsel
The incident began on Saturday afternoon at the Statielei in Mortsel, where Mohamed S. confronted his ex-wife in front of their child. According to witnesses cited by HLN, the man carried a knife and repeatedly made gestures as if he wanted to cut his ex-partner’s throat. The child witnessed everything.
With the help of bystanders, the woman and child managed to bring themselves to safety, and a neighborhood resident took them in. The man fled the scene.
“The woman was injured and was taken to the hospital,” said Commissaris Verbaenen of the politiezone Minos. “She was not in life-threatening danger. The perpetrator is being sought.”
The Police Chase and Crash
Hours later that evening, police spotted Mohamed S.’s car and initiated a chase on the E19 motorway. The pursuit was started by the politiezone Minos and joined by Antwerp police reinforcements. The man drove at high speed toward Linkeroever, the Left Bank of Antwerp.
At the Galgeweellaan on Linkeroever, the car smashed through the garage door of a house. The resident — the man’s ex-mother-in-law — was in the garage at the moment of impact and was lightly injured. The chase ended around 22:15, and Mohamed S. was immediately arrested.
The resident of the Galgeweellaan house described the terrifying moment: “My wife was just in the corner of the garage when the car smashed through the door. He crashed into my car, which flew to the back of the garage and destroyed a built-in cabinet. I don’t know that man well and don’t know what had happened that afternoon. My wife remains in the hospital for observation.”
Neighbors saw Mohamed S. making a lot of noise after his arrest. He had to kneel next to the garage and resisted heavily during handcuffing and transfer to the police van. He also tested positive for drug use in a saliva test.
Prior Court Restrictions Ignored
Mohamed S. was already subject to a contactverbod (restraining order) and a huisverbod (house ban) imposed by the family court of Dendermonde after previous aggressive incidents against his ex-wife. The couple previously lived in Zwijndrecht before the court imposed the restrictions. Despite these measures, he was waiting for his ex-wife and their child at the Statielei on Saturday, where the encounter escalated into violence.
A Broader Pattern of Concern
The case highlights a troubling trend in Belgium regarding the effectiveness of restraining orders in domestic violence cases. According to VRT NWS, the number of temporary house bans in Belgium has tripled since 2020, from 217 to an estimated 760 in 2025. However, contactverboden are frequently violated and can be easily ignored by perpetrators without close monitoring.
Recent fatal cases in Belgium where contactverboden were violated include a woman killed in Antwerp in December 2025, a woman killed in Roeselare in September 2025, and a woman set on fire in Houthalen-Helchteren in the summer of 2025. According to experts, at least 22 women are killed each year by their (ex-)partner in Belgium, and this number has not declined despite measures like contactverboden.
The Flemish Minister of Justice has announced plans for GPS ankle monitors for high-risk offenders, but the system is still being tested and requires federal legislation changes.
What’s Next
Mohamed S. spent the night in a police cell and was brought before the investigating judge on Sunday. He faces charges related to the knife attack on his ex-wife, the violation of his restraining order, and the dangerous police chase that ended in the crash. The ex-wife’s mother remains in the hospital for observation, and the case has renewed calls for stronger enforcement of protective measures in domestic violence cases.