Share

Belgian police shoot, wound knife-wielding assailant

Belgian police shot and wounded a man who attacked one of the officers with a knife on Monday in a northern neighbourhood of the capital city, Brussels.

"The man attacked one of our colleagues with a knife," slightly wounding the officer on the head, said Brussels police spokesperson Ilse Van De Keere.

Van De Keere said that a second officer shot the attacker and "seriously wounded him".

The spokesperson for the Brussels prosecutor's office, Ine Van Wymersch, said the incident did not appear to be terror related.

Prosecutors said in a statement that the man, who was not identified, had pulled out the knife when police tried to get him to move away from some government offices. Three shots were fired at him after he struck one of the officers.

"The suspect was hit by a bullet in the body and another in the leg. He is in critical condition," the statement said. An investigation has been launched.

A local resident, who would only identify himself as Aziz, told The Associated Press that he heard up to three shots.

"I heard a gunshot. Then two or three. Then a guy fell down on the ground and the police were shouting 'drop the knife, drop the knife,' and the guy fell on the ground."

The incident happened near a park where migrants routinely camp while their applications for residency permits are assessed nearby.

KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.

- FOLLOW News24 on Twitter

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How often do you go to the cinema to watch new movies?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Often - nothing beats the big screen
2% - 19 votes
Hardly - I prefer streaming online
68% - 646 votes
Sometimes - it depends on the film release
31% - 292 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.17
-0.9%
Rand - Pound
23.85
-0.7%
Rand - Euro
20.42
-0.6%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
-0.7%
Rand - Yen
0.12
-0.7%
Platinum
953.60
+0.1%
Palladium
1,034.00
-0.1%
Gold
2,388.08
+1.1%
Silver
28.41
+0.6%
Brent Crude
87.29
-3.1%
Top 40
67,190
+0.4%
All Share
73,271
+0.4%
Resource 10
63,297
-0.1%
Industrial 25
98,419
+0.6%
Financial 15
15,480
+0.6%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE