BY CONSTANT BRAND
Authorities say the evidence points to premeditation.
The 20-year-old man has been charged with killing two infants and a 54-year-old woman at the creche.
Ten children and two staff were also wounded, some seriously, in Friday’s attack, which sent shockwaves across the country.
Prosecutor Christian Du Four said the man, who was arrested on Friday shortly after the carnage, was questioned by police and later that day appeared before a judge who charged him and placed him under arrest.
When questioned by police, the man officially named only as ”Kim D” was still in possession of a knife, a hatchet and a fake pistol, hidden in a backpack.
Mr Du Four said, ”He had a bulletproof vest under his clothes,” adding that the suspect appeared very docile during questioning.
Mr Du Four said police also found two other knives near the daycare centre where a nine-month old girl, a six-month old boy and the 54-year-old caregiver were killed.
Three judicial officials said on Saturday that police found the addresses of three other nurseries after they took the man into custody.
Mr Du Four said he would not comment on whether the suspect planned other attacks, but said the weapons found in his backpack ”point to premeditation”.
The accused, whose identity has not been officially issued, was also charged with attempted murder, the prosecutor said, as locals on Saturday left flowers and lit candles outside the creche.
The prosecutor’s office in Dendermonde, located north-west of Brussels, said the accused man lived in Belsele, a town north of Dendermonde.
Mr Du Four said he lived alone, was unemployed and had no criminal record.
He was identified by Belgian media as Kim De Gelder. Neighbours variously described him as discreet, ”eccentric” and a cycling buff.
Belgian newspapers are referring to the attacker as ”The Joker” killer because he had painted his face white with black patches around the eyes.
Investigators believe the suspect entered the ”Fabeltjesland” Fairytale-land creche about 10am local time on Friday with a 20cm knife and started stabbing and slashing the children.
Magistrate Jan Kerkhofs said, ”In every room, he tried to have the largest possible number of victims.”
The magistrate refused to comment on The Joker theory.
”He did not say anything at all so I cannot say,” Mr Kerkhofs added.
Mr Du Four said the suspect was refusing to cooperate with police after hours of questioning at a police station in Dendermonde, where he was being held.
Dr Ignace Demeyer, from Our Lady Hospital in nearby Aalst, said six of the 10 wounded children could be discharged from hospital at the weekend.
Two adults were also hurt. All those hurt were in stable condition on Saturday.
The man in question was charged on the basis of identifications by witnesses at the daycare centre, Mr Du Four said. Police had also searched his house and seized a computer.
”We don’t know anything in terms of motive, we also don’t know whether there is a link between the man and Dendermonde,” Mr Du Four said.
One worker tried but failed to disarm the suspect, who walked out of the building and rode off on a bicycle. He was later arrested in a nearby town.
Belgians were in shock after the brutal attack and many gathered outside the building on Saturday to leave flowers and teddy bears and light candles in memory of the victims.
The De Standaard newspaper described the rampage as ”madness,” while De Morgen headlined ”Cold, Bloodthirsty, Inhuman.”
Local resident Serge De Plecker said,”We thought that things like this only happened in the United States and now we see that in Belgium, in a small village like this … that such a thing could happen, it is very, very bad.”
Some 40,000 people joined a condolences and support page on Facebook.
A march and vigil was also planned for the coming days, Mayor Piet Buyse said. AP/AFP