A Belgian motorcycle racer and member of the Special Forces died while his police team was arresting a dangerous criminal. The Minister of the Interior and the representative of the king will come to the hero’s funeral.
At the beginning of this week, 36-year-old Belgian policeman Jonathan Savel died, who only a few days earlier was fighting on the course of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in the saddle of a KTM machine.
As a member of the special units of the Belgian Federal Police (DSU), Savel participated in an operation to secure a person suspected of illegal trafficking in drugs, cars and weapons.
The operation began at dawn on Monday, around 7:30 a.m., when Savel and his team arrived at the suspect’s residence. The team first secured the woman on the spot, who was unaware of the impending danger.
However, the situation escalated quickly. The man hiding behind the door opened fire suddenly. Charleroi city prosecutor Vincent Fiasse described the terrifying moment: “He fired several times and emptied almost the entire magazine at the police officers.”
The criminal hit Savel and two of his colleagues. Despite the immediate summoning of reinforcements and the evacuation of the injured, the policeman’s injuries were fatal. Thus, after many years, Savel became the first victim from the ranks of the DSU.
“It is a dark day for the Belgian police, the federal police and especially for our special forces,” said Eric Snoeck, commissioner general of the federal police.
The funeral with full police honors will take place today in the town of Basècles with the participation of the Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlindena, who will posthumously honor Savel with a high state award.
According to notele.be, the Belgian King’s representative and high-ranking officials of the federal police will also attend the funeral in St. Martin’s Church.
For many years, Savel dreamed of starting the Dakar Rally. This year, due to little experience, he did not fit into the starting list. All the more, he wanted to see his desire through to a successful end in January next year. That’s why he called his Facebook page “Jonathan Savel is heading to Dakar 2025”.
At the turn of February and March, he took part in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge as part of the World Rally Championship. At the finish line, he was 23rd in the Rally2 category, i.e. among amateur drivers.
He made the situation even more difficult by riding in the Malle Moto category, i.e. without the support of mechanics. All service in this category must be carried out by the riders themselves in the bivouac.
