One of Belgium's best-known football TV presenters has been charged with armed robbery after a raid near Brussels, prosecutors said.

Stephane Pauwels, who has hosted shows for Belgian and French television, was arrested in a major police operation.

The 50-year-old man is suspected of "armed robbery with a firearm, at night, as part of a gang", federal prosecutor's spokeswoman Wenke Roggen said.

The raid took place in the affluent town of Lasne, south of the Belgian capital, in 2017.

It was described by news organisations as a "home invasion".


The arrest is part of an investigation launched several months ago into armed robberies, burglaries and drug dealing, Mr Roggen said.

Five people are in custody.

Image: Pauwels, left, has been suspended from his role with a major Belgian TV network

Pauwels was detained in the southern city of Mons on Tuesday.

He appeared before a judge who charged him and then granted conditional bail.

Pauwels is a presenter on Belgium's RTL-TVI channel, the country's leading private broadcaster.

He is also known in France for hosting football programmes on several stations.

As well as providing football coverage, Pauwels also hosts a show on RTL-TVI called "Storms of Life", telling tales of dramatic ordeals faced by celebrities and ordinary people.

The show's website: "Life is full of unexpected turns.

"For some it can be particularly difficult, taking them in an instant from happiness and hardship."

Parent company RTL Belgium announced that Pauwels was suspended with immediate effect.

The news channel RTL Info: "The management of RTL Belgium strongly hopes that clarity can be brought as quickly as possible to this affair."