Charel Bourg, the former gendarmerie officer and first director-general of Luxembourg’s Grand Ducal Police, has died at the age of 79.
His passing on 24 July came months before he was due to stand trial in November 2025 alongside seven other ex-gendarmerie officers for perjury in the first Bomber’s Affair (“Bommeleeër”) trial.
In autumn 2024, the Court of Appeal’s pre-trial chamber dismissed obstruction of justice charges against them and confirmed that none would face prosecution for involvement in the 1980s bombings themselves.
The first Bommeleeër trial – involving two former gendarmes, Marc Scheer and Jos Wilmes – has been stalled for years due to contradictory statements from the accused officers. The trial of the remaining seven, who served in the mobile brigade or security service, is now scheduled to begin on 17 November.
The Bommeleeër affair remains one of Luxembourg’s most notorious unsolved cases. Between 1984 and 1986, a wave of 18 bombings struck infrastructure across the country, targeting electricity pylons, public buildings, and other sites.
Despite a lengthy investigation and a high-profile trial launched in 2013, no convictions have been secured. Persistent allegations of a cover-up and speculation about political motives continue to surround the decades-old mystery.
Bommeleeër: Luxembourg’s largest criminal chapter ever (part 1)
