Belgium has opened an investigation after child sexual abuse images were found in the cell of notorious serial killer Marc Dutroux, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Sentenced in 2004 to life imprisonment, Dutroux was found guilty of kidnapping and raping six girls and young women in 1995-1996, four of whom he murdered.
The discovery dates back to July 2024, when authorities found a stash of pornographic images in his cell -- where he is being held in solitary confinement.
"Investigators seized four envelopes containing images of naked women, some of them young minors," said the prosecutor of Walloon Brabant, the Belgian province where the Nivelles prison holding Dutroux is located.
According to the weekly magazine Humo, which first reported on the investigation, authorities found some 200 pornographic images, around half of which were child sex abuse material.
Dutroux, now 69, could face new charges over the find, with the probe currently in the hands of an investigating magistrate, said a prosecutor's statement.
According to Humo, the criminal told his lawyer the images did not belong to him, claiming to be the victim of "harassment" by other inmates who allegedly smuggled the photos into his cell without his knowledge.
Lawyer Bruno Dayez declined to comment.
Dayez took on Dutroux's case in 2016 and sought to obtain his release in 2021.
The bid was rejected after an expert report in 2020 concluded Dutroux should be considered a criminal highly likely to reoffend.
