Belgian mayor Alfred Gadenne found dead by wife in cemetery 'with his throat slit'

A Belgian mayor was found dead in a cemetery near his home with his throat slit.

Alfred Gadenne’s body was discovered by his wife at Luingne Cemetery, where he was a caretaker, on Monday.

The 71-year-old was popular among locals and personally opened and close the graveyard every morning and night.

He was mayor of Mouscron in western Belgium, an industrial town with a population of 57,000 just across the border from the northern French city of Lille.

On his death, the country’s Prime Minister Charles Michel wrote on Twitter: “I learn with horror the brutal death of Alfred Gadenne. All my thoughts go to his family and friends.”

Among those offering condolences was Philippe Courard, president of the parliament for Belgium's French-speaking south.

He tweeted: "Terrifying. What kind of world are we living in?"

An 18-year-old man is suspected of killing the city mayor, it has been reported.