Dendermonde nursery attack
Encyclopedia
The Dendermonde nursery attack was a stabbing
attack on the Fabeltjesland daycare centre
in the village of Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde
in Dendermonde
, Belgium
, at 10:00 a.m. CET
(9:00 a.m. UTC) on 23 January 2009. Three people were stabbed to death, and twelve were mutilated in the attack. The suspect has been linked to a separate murder of an elderly lady and police have suggested he was plotting more nursery attacks. The daycare centre involved in the initial attack is expected never to reopen. Italian singer Luciano Ligabue
dedicated to the victims a song, inserted in his 2010 album, .
, entered the Fabeltjesland nursery, located in Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde
in Dendermonde
, Belgium
, through an unlocked side door, claiming he had a question. He then entered one of the rooms and began attacking small children before moving up some stairs, where he continued in another room. The man was reported to be wearing black and white makeup with his hair vividly coloured in red, similar to that of The Joker
. De Gelder's attorney, Jaak Haentjens, later formally denied any link to "the Joker", attributing the claims of face paint to De Gelder's pale skin.
Kim De Gelder was, in eyes of his friends and colleagues, a silent boy, who never said anything.
A total of eighteen infants under the age of three and six adults were in the nursery at the time of the attack. Two infants and one adult were killed, six children, between one and three years old, were seriously injured, another four suffered minor injuries and nine escaped unscathed. The alleged perpetrator left the scene on his bike.
Initial reports on Belgian television suggested that five people had been killed and twenty had been injured, with government officials only confirming the death of one adult and one child. This number was later increased, as another infant had died from the injuries he had sustained. It has also been reported that some of the surviving children have needed plastic surgery
due to serious mutilations.
. Having been wounded during his capture, the man was taken to a hospital in Aalst, Belgium
. Police reported that he was carrying a list of nurseries, of which they suspect he may have been planning to attack as well.
The mayor of Dendermonde, Piet Buyse, said, "The victims are being cared for and those who were not injured have been brought to a centre where they are receiving counseling."
At a press conference on the evening of the attack, public prosecutor Christian Du Four provided the following information about the alleged offender, denying several early rumours:
The attacker was later identified as Kim De Gelder on 25 January 2009. De Gelder confided in his attorney, stating that he had been troubled by depression as a teenager and at one point heard voices in his head. Regardless, a psychiatrist had concluded that he did not need to be sent to a mental institution.
Some 6,000 people marched through Dendermonde on 25 January 2009, laying hundreds of bouquets and stuffed animals outside the daycare centre as the Mayor of Dendermonde, Piet Buyse, announced that the Fabeltjesland nursery would never reopen.
On 26 January 2009, Belgian officials named Kim De Gelder as the lead suspect in a further, fourth murder, where a 73-year-old woman was stabbed to death in her apartment in Beveren
, near Antwerp, on 16 January. Prosecutor Christian Du Four told journalists that there were "very clear indications of links between the murders", though De Gelder denies any involvement. Police have stated that he was planning attacks on other nurseries.
On 27 January, De Gelder admitted to the attacks. The media originally reported that DeGelder was wearing make-up at the time of the attack, making him look like the Joker character from the Batman films, but police have not confirmed that depiction.
In further media reports, De Gelder reportedly watched The Dark Knight
an unusually high number of times ("film obsession"), appears to have quoted the character Harvey Dent at the start of the attack, and committed the attacks on the one-year anniversary of Heath Ledger
's death. Both police investigators and De Gelder's lawyer have made statements dismissing such as relevant to his motive in the attack.
Stabbing
A stabbing is penetration with a sharp or pointed object at close range. Stab connotes purposeful action, as by an assassin or murderer, but it is also possible to accidentally stab oneself or others.Stabbing differs from slashing or cutting in that the motion of the object used in a stabbing...
attack on the Fabeltjesland daycare centre
Day care
Child care or day care is care of a child during the day by a person other than the child's legal guardians, typically performed by someone outside the child's immediate family...
in the village of Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde
Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde
Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde is a part of the municipality of Dendermonde in the Denderstreek in East Flanders in Belgium, a typical agricultural village in the Dendervallei near the junction of the railroads to Ghent, Mechelen and Brussels....
in Dendermonde
Dendermonde
Dendermonde is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the city of Dendermonde proper and the towns of Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, Mespelare, Oudegem, Schoonaarde, and Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, at 10:00 a.m. CET
Central European Time
Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
(9:00 a.m. UTC) on 23 January 2009. Three people were stabbed to death, and twelve were mutilated in the attack. The suspect has been linked to a separate murder of an elderly lady and police have suggested he was plotting more nursery attacks. The daycare centre involved in the initial attack is expected never to reopen. Italian singer Luciano Ligabue
Luciano Ligabue
Luciano Ligabue , more commonly known as Ligabue or Liga, is an Italian rock singer-songwriter, film director and writer.-Biography:...
dedicated to the victims a song, inserted in his 2010 album, .
Attack
Kim De Gelder, a 20 year-old Belgian from SinaaiSint-Niklaas
Sint-Niklaas is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Sint-Niklaas proper and the towns of Belsele, Nieuwkerken-Waas, and Sinaai....
, entered the Fabeltjesland nursery, located in Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde
Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde
Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde is a part of the municipality of Dendermonde in the Denderstreek in East Flanders in Belgium, a typical agricultural village in the Dendervallei near the junction of the railroads to Ghent, Mechelen and Brussels....
in Dendermonde
Dendermonde
Dendermonde is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the city of Dendermonde proper and the towns of Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, Mespelare, Oudegem, Schoonaarde, and Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, through an unlocked side door, claiming he had a question. He then entered one of the rooms and began attacking small children before moving up some stairs, where he continued in another room. The man was reported to be wearing black and white makeup with his hair vividly coloured in red, similar to that of The Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
. De Gelder's attorney, Jaak Haentjens, later formally denied any link to "the Joker", attributing the claims of face paint to De Gelder's pale skin.
Kim De Gelder was, in eyes of his friends and colleagues, a silent boy, who never said anything.
A total of eighteen infants under the age of three and six adults were in the nursery at the time of the attack. Two infants and one adult were killed, six children, between one and three years old, were seriously injured, another four suffered minor injuries and nine escaped unscathed. The alleged perpetrator left the scene on his bike.
Victims
- Leon Garcia-Mannaert, a nine-month old boy,
- Corneel Vermeir, a nine-month old boy,
- Marita Blindeman, a 54-year-old child minder.
Initial reports on Belgian television suggested that five people had been killed and twenty had been injured, with government officials only confirming the death of one adult and one child. This number was later increased, as another infant had died from the injuries he had sustained. It has also been reported that some of the surviving children have needed plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
due to serious mutilations.
Arrest and aftermath
A massive search operation was mounted, and a man was captured by police a short while later, in the nearby town of LebbekeLebbeke
Lebbeke is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the towns of Denderbelle, Lebbeke proper and Wieze. On January 1, 2006 Lebbeke had a total population of 17,608...
. Having been wounded during his capture, the man was taken to a hospital in Aalst, Belgium
Aalst, Belgium
Aalst is a city and municipality on the Dender River, 19 miles northwest from Brussels. It is located in the Flemish province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the city of Aalst itself and the villages of Baardegem, Erembodegem, Gijzegem, Herdersem, Hofstade,...
. Police reported that he was carrying a list of nurseries, of which they suspect he may have been planning to attack as well.
The mayor of Dendermonde, Piet Buyse, said, "The victims are being cared for and those who were not injured have been brought to a centre where they are receiving counseling."
At a press conference on the evening of the attack, public prosecutor Christian Du Four provided the following information about the alleged offender, denying several early rumours:
The attacker was later identified as Kim De Gelder on 25 January 2009. De Gelder confided in his attorney, stating that he had been troubled by depression as a teenager and at one point heard voices in his head. Regardless, a psychiatrist had concluded that he did not need to be sent to a mental institution.
Some 6,000 people marched through Dendermonde on 25 January 2009, laying hundreds of bouquets and stuffed animals outside the daycare centre as the Mayor of Dendermonde, Piet Buyse, announced that the Fabeltjesland nursery would never reopen.
On 26 January 2009, Belgian officials named Kim De Gelder as the lead suspect in a further, fourth murder, where a 73-year-old woman was stabbed to death in her apartment in Beveren
Beveren
Beveren is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Beveren proper, Doel, Haasdonk, Kallo, Kieldrecht, Melsele, Verrebroek and Vrasene....
, near Antwerp, on 16 January. Prosecutor Christian Du Four told journalists that there were "very clear indications of links between the murders", though De Gelder denies any involvement. Police have stated that he was planning attacks on other nurseries.
On 27 January, De Gelder admitted to the attacks. The media originally reported that DeGelder was wearing make-up at the time of the attack, making him look like the Joker character from the Batman films, but police have not confirmed that depiction.
In further media reports, De Gelder reportedly watched The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight (film)
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins...
an unusually high number of times ("film obsession"), appears to have quoted the character Harvey Dent at the start of the attack, and committed the attacks on the one-year anniversary of Heath Ledger
Heath Ledger
Heath Andrew Ledger was an Australian television and film actor. After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his film career...
's death. Both police investigators and De Gelder's lawyer have made statements dismissing such as relevant to his motive in the attack.