BELGIUM: Families and residents of Dendermonde bury victims of frenzied knife attack at creche that stunned country

Record ID: 817630

  • Title: BELGIUM: Families and residents of Dendermonde bury victims of frenzied knife attack at creche that stunned country
  • Date: 1st February 2009
  • Summary: SLATE INFORMATION
  • Embargoed: 16th February 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVA70OYN0YZ5ZYEEB27RF8771IB2
  • Story Text: The families and residents of Dendermonde on Saturday (January 31) buried two of the three victims killed when a man entered a nursery and started killing randomly around him.
    A small crowd gathered in front of the town's church where the funeral of nine month-old baby Leon Garcia Mannaert was celebrated. Prayers were punctuated by children's songs and testimonies. Families and friends remembered a baby full of life and joy.
    A representative of the King of Belgium attended the service.
    At the end of the ceremony, the parents carried the small coffin to a hearse. With Leon Garcia's sister, they led a funeral procession to the nearby cemetery.
    The attack at the Fabeltjesland -- Fairytale Land -- creche in town of Dendermonde, 30 km (20 miles) west of Brussels, has shocked the country.
    Many still didn't understand how the attack could have taken place in the small community.
    "I think it's weird that's in a small community like this, that something like this happens. It's strange and it's unbelievable. We can't believe it," Regina Michiels said.
    The other baby killed in the attack was buried on Friday (January 30).
    Earlier in the day, a funeral service for Marita Blindeman, a nursery teacher also killed in the attack, was celebrated in a nearby church.
    Omer Verbeke, the former priest of the family and a family friend, described Blindeman as someone who was ready to give her life to the ones she loved.
    "There is no one who has a greater love for others than the person giving his or her life for them or for their loved ones. And that's what she has done. I think she was killed because she wanted to protect the children she was responsible for," Verbeke said, quoting words from the Gospel of Saint John.
    The assailant arrived at the creche mid-morning last Friday (January 23) saying he wanted to ask a question but then ran inside and started slashing at victims with a knife, first in a room of babies, then one with toddlers.
    The man was arrested soon after the attack and has since been charged with triple murder at the nursery. He has also been linked to the murder of a 73-year-old woman at her home a week before.
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