Belgium fugitive arrested at Amtrak station in Philadelphia
PHILADEPHIA — Special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Philadelphia Special Agents and Task Force Officers arrested a Belgian fugitive Wednesday, in Philadelphia, pursuant to an extradition request from the Federal Public Service of Belgium. The arrest occurred without incident with the assistance of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the Amtrak Police Department, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.
Vincent Didler Jean-Marie Gilbert Simonon, 32, is wanted in Belgium, for alleged intentional manslaughter in connection with the brutal slaying of his neighbor, Christiane Darimont, and the concealment of her body, sometime in late July or early August 2017.
“Fugitives who commit egregious crimes in their home country should not expect to find refuge in the U.S.,” said Marlon V. Miller, special agent in charge of HSI Philadelphia. “As a result of the close cooperation between U.S. and Belgium, authorities, the suspect has been arrested and will be safely returned to his native country to face justice.”
On Aug. 11, 2017, Simonon, flew from Dusseldorf, Germany, through Amsterdam, to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.
Simonon is believed to have been in Philadelphia for a week, during which time he utilized a fictitious name to create an account on the social media service “Couchsurfer,” and stayed with three different people whom he met using this online service. The night before his apprehension, he spent the night on the couch of an unsuspecting University of Pennsylvania graduate student he met on Couchsurfer.
On Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017, HSI Philadelphia was notified by the HSI Brussels Attaché Office of Simonon’s likely presence in the Philadelphia area. HSI special agents and task force officers tracked Simonon to the University City section of Philadelphia, arresting him at Amtrak 30th Street Station the following morning without incident.
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