The shooting took place on August 29 in the Brussels municipality of Ixelles. According to Belgian media, the victim’s son (22) was lured into a trap via Grindr at night, after which the perpetrators entered his home and demanded money. When the parents (both 57) arrived to see what was happening, the father was shot. The mother and son were also injured. Grindr is now warning users in Brussels about such traps.

The use of Grindr by violent homophobes to carry out assaults and robberies is not new. Recently, several reports have been filed with the Brussels police about aggression via Grindr. Victims are being robbed and extorted.

Violent incidents involving gay men being lured into traps have also occurred recently outside Belgium. In Almere, the Netherlands, four minors have been arrested by the police on suspicion of assaulting and robbing Grindr users. Several cities in France, including Nice, are also facing similar Grindr-related crimes.

It is notable that the perpetrators are often relatively young boys, who are inspired by videos on social media. In these videos, gay men who believe to be going on a Grindr date are attacked by groups of youths. For example, in New Zealand, a group of ten youths was prosecuted for ten assaults.