A man who was formerly on Europe's "most wanted" list was sentenced on Thursday following a violent assault in Remich over three years ago.

The accused had shot another man in Remich, then fled to Albania, before his eventual arrest in Brussels in 2022.

At the conclusion of the trial on Thursday morning, the man was acquitted of all crimes in the first instance, but received a two and a half year sentence for illegal weapon possession and bodily injury. He was also fined €2,000.

The prosecution initially demanded a 12-year prison sentence and charged the individual with attempted murder over the shooting.

The court ruled that the accused, an Albanian national, had not acted in self-defence and that the act was not excused by the fact he was provoked by his victim.
Both the accused and the prosecution now have 40 days to appeal the verdict. The convicted individual may also request an early release from prison, as he has now been incarcerated for well over a year.

The facts surrounding the case were relatively unclear when the case first went to trial in January. Both the accused and the victim offered contradictory versions of events, with the former claiming he was lured outside following a dispute in a Remich bar, where he said the victim stabbed him in the leg, leading him to discharge his weapon in self-defence. The victim, however, said he had not attacked the accused, nor had the accused shown any signs of injuries to his leg.