Belgian mayor found dead in graveyard near his home

A knifeman has ambushed and slit the throat of a mayor in Belgium at a cemetery near his home tonight.

Alfred Gadenne, 71, has been found dead after being attacked as he closed the graveyard for the day at around 7:50pm local time on Monday.

Police have arrested a suspect who handed himself in, the Sun reports, citing the local paper Het Laatste Nieuws.

Prime Minister Charles Michel said: "I have learned with horror of the brutal death of Alfred Gadenne.

"All my thoughts are with his family and friends.

The politician with the conservative CDH party has been mayor of Mouscron, a town of 57,000 people in the north west of the country near the French border with Lille.

CDH President Benoit Lutgen said: "My sorrow is immense. I express my condolences to his neighbours."

Jean-Marc Nollet, the Ecolo-Green group leader, described Mr Gadenne as "a man of dialogue with a big heart".

Prosecutor Christian Henry said: "At 19.50, the Mouscron fire brigade received an anonymous call that someone was killed at Lowingen Cemetery.

"Police went on to find the corpse".