Two Weeks Later, the Armed Far-Right Soldier Is Still On the Run

On Wednesday, Belgian authorities began administrative procedures to remove Jurgen Conings from the Belgian Army, after he disappeared more than two weeks ago, having stolen weapons from an armoury.

The Belgian Army has been under fire for allowing 46-year-old Conings – a highly decorated military shooting instructor suspected of right-wing extremist links and making threats against top Belgian COVID officials – to remain on duty handling weapons on a shooting range, despite being demoted from instructor last year for being one of about 100 members of the Belgian military suspected by authorities of extreme far-right links.

On Monday the 17th of May, Conings used his access to the armoury to steal a submachine gun, pistol, ammunition, body armour and inert anti-tank training rockets. Authorities also discovered two letters making threats against officials, as well as CCTV footage that showed Conings watching the home of Belgium’s top COVID scientist.

By the 18th of May, a nationwide manhunt for Conings found his car and the inert rockets near the Hoge Kempen National Park, which was rigged with an improvised explosive device intended to warn Jurgen – who was then believed to be hiding in the park – that the car had been found. But days of searching the park by Belgian police and military units – assisted by the elite counter-terrorism units of Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France – found nothing.

“We haven’t been able to assume Conings is in the park, or really spent any significant time in the park, for two weeks,” said a Belgian law enforcement official. “It was clearly a bit of a ruse to get us hunting for the anti-tank rockets – those gave everyone pause, even if they’re said to be inert – and he used that time to escape.”

Belgian authorities now admit they have no idea where Conings is, and on Sunday raised the national terror threat to the highest level and put as many as a dozen top officials under round-the-clock security protection, even moving several suspected targets to government safe houses. 

“Social media confirms that he has access to a potentially significant international network of supporters,” said the official. “And his connections to the far-right ecosphere is where we think the situation has moved. It’s very unlikely he has been operating alone without any sign of movement or action for more than two weeks without help. He’s either got help or he’s dead [by suicide].”

The official referenced the hundreds of supporters who have gathered in the Netherlands and Belgium to call for a “Jurgen’s Life Matters” movement to protect someone they fear will be killed by police, as well as a 45,000 person Facebook group shut down last week and several Telegram channels devoted to supporting Conings.

“There are people who want to help him,” said the official. “And it’s possible he’s already left Belgium with the support of some international neo-Nazi networks that have shown him strong support. But there’s no evidence, and we have to assume he’s stalking victims here at home.”