Belgian minister urges public to ignore conspiracy theories over soldier’s death

Justice minister tells people to focus on facts after discovery of corporal's body in woods near Dutch border

Belgium's justice minister has appealed to the public to ignore conspiracy theories around the death of Jurgen Conings, the heavily armed soldier whose body was discovered on Sunday a month after he went missing, threatening to kill a high-profile virologist.

Vincent van Quickenborne said he hoped people would focus on the facts of the case following the discovery of the 46-year-old corporal's body in the Dilserbos woods in the municipality of Dilsen-Stokkem near the Dutch border.