The incident occurred on July 23 aboard Tram 55 in the municipality of Evere. According to French-language broadcaster RTBF, Driss Atouane, 54, stepped in after a man allegedly directed racist and anti-Muslim remarks at a female passenger, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.
The suspect then allegedly assaulted Atouane, repeatedly striking him in what local media described as an exceptionally violent attack.
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Atouane, who managed a supermarket in Brussels‘ Schaerbeek district, was taken to hospital with serious injuries and died on Sunday.
The Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office said police responded rapidly to the scene and arrested the suspect within minutes of the assault.
Prosecutor’s office spokesperson Aurélie-Anne De Vos said the suspect has been placed under an arrest warrant and that an investigating judge ordered a psychiatric evaluation as part of the ongoing investigation.
Atouane was widely known in the Schaerbeek community, where he operated his neighborhood supermarket.
Hasan Koyuncu, the incoming mayor of Schaerbeek, described Atouane’s death as “an unbearable injustice,” expressing hope that justice would be served and saying his courage would not be forgotten.
Tributes also poured in on social media, with many users calling Atouane a hero for risking his life to protect a stranger from what was reported as a racist and Islamophobic assault.
