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Jewish Museum shooting suspect's trial halted as Belgian police question juror

Mehdi Nemmouche, 33, is accused of shooting dead four people at the Brussels museum in 2014

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The trial of a man accused of killing four people at the Brussels Jewish Museum was halted briefly as police were summoned to question a juror.

The juror told the court he was approached by a work colleague who claimed to be a witness to the attack, and shared with him an elaborate conspiracy theory involving a senior Belgian minister, the Times of Israel reported.

Judge Laurence Massart declared that the trial’s closing arguments, due to start on Monday, could not begin “under these conditions”.

Judge Massart told the court: “The sixth juror contacted police officials on Friday afternoon to say he met with parties not heard in this trial with whom he discussed the case file.”

Mehdi Nemmouche, a 33-year-old Frenchman, is accused of shooting dead an Israeli couple, a local worker and a French volunteer at the museum in May 2014.

He faces life in prison if convicted of the “terrorist murder”.

Mr Nemmouche is being tried along with fellow Frenchman Nacer Bendrer, a petty criminal from Marseilles who is accused of supplying the weapons for the attack.

His lawyer, Sebastien Courtoy, referred to the juror’s colleague as “probably a person in search of attention”.

Investigators said Mr Nemmouche attacked the museum shortly after returning from Syria, where he had allegedly fought on behalf of jihadist groups.

Six days after the attack, he was arrested in the southern French port city of Marseille.

The trial is due to end in early March.

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