Olivier Vandecasteele released: the plane landed on Belgian soil

The Belgian aid worker was released on Friday. He had been detained in Iran since February 24, 2022.

This Friday, Alexander De Croo announced the good news: Belgian humanitarian Olivier Vandecasteele has been released. Detained in Iran for 455 days, the native of Tournai had been sentenced to 40 years in prison and a physical punishment of 74 lashes. Officially, he was accused of espionage.

In the evening of Friday, the Belgian finally arrived in Belgium. The plane bringing him home landed in Melsbroek at 9:29 p.m.