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Gunman on run after attack on army barracks in Belgium Gunman arrested after attack on army barracks in Belgium
(35 minutes later)
A manhunt is under way in Belgium after a dozen shots were fired when a masked gunman tried to ram a car through the gates of a military barracks. A masked gunman who tried to ram a car through the gates of a military barracks in Belgium and fled when soldiers replied with more than a dozen gunshots has been arrested.
No one was injured and the attacker fled in the car after soldiers from the barracks in Flawinne, a suburb of Namur, opened fire on the vehicle. “The individual has just been arrested. It is important to calm people. There is nothing to suggest there are others involved,” prosecutor Vincent Macq told the Belga news agency.
No one was injured and the attacker fled after soldiers from the barracks in Flawinne, a suburb of Namur home to the 2nd Commando Battalion, opened fire on the vehicle.
Police cordoned off the area from 9.40am until 10.30am and a video posted on Twitter shows officers apparently deploying outside a supermarket.
“No one was hurt, it seems,” a spokesman for prosecutors in Namur was reported as saying. “If I look at it from an outsider’s point of view, it seems incomprehensible,” he said. “Why would you attack a military barracks? There are plenty of weapons there to strike back.”
The vehicle’s owner is said to have been identified after the car was found in Belgrade, near Flawinne. Bomb squad officials were on the scene after witnesses told Belgian media that the man was apparently carrying something heavy in a case.The vehicle’s owner is said to have been identified after the car was found in Belgrade, near Flawinne. Bomb squad officials were on the scene after witnesses told Belgian media that the man was apparently carrying something heavy in a case.
Lt Gen Claude van de Voorde, chief of staff of the Belgian defence cabinet, said he could not confirm media reports that explosives were in the car. “People start making up things quickly,” he said.Lt Gen Claude van de Voorde, chief of staff of the Belgian defence cabinet, said he could not confirm media reports that explosives were in the car. “People start making up things quickly,” he said.
Police do not know if the car was stolen.
Attaque de la caserne de #flawinne ce matin. La voiture de l'assaillant a été retrouvée @BelgaImage pic.twitter.com/cPjaLavovcAttaque de la caserne de #flawinne ce matin. La voiture de l'assaillant a été retrouvée @BelgaImage pic.twitter.com/cPjaLavovc
Police cordoned off the area from 9.40am until 10.30am and a video posted on Twitter show officers apparently deploying outside a supermarket. No immediate motive for the attack was known.
“No one was hurt, it seems. The man is on the run,” a spokesman for prosecutors in Namur was reported as saying. “If I look at it from an outsider’s point of view, it seems incomprehensible,” he said. “Why would you attack a military barracks? There are plenty of weapons there to strike back.” The Flawinne barracks are home to a commando battalion of 650 soldiers that take part in Nato operations and peacekeeping missions.
Flawinne is the site of one of Belgium’s major military barracks, home to the 2nd Commando Battalion.
Security was increased around the European commission, embassies and Jewish schools in Brussels after two men were killed in a police raid against a suspected terrorist cell in Verviers last January.Security was increased around the European commission, embassies and Jewish schools in Brussels after two men were killed in a police raid against a suspected terrorist cell in Verviers last January.
Four people were killed in a gun attack on a Jewish museum in Brussels last May. A 29-year-old man arrested in connection with that incident, Mehdi Nemmouche, is believed to have spent over a year in Syria. Police officers reportedly found a short video featuring the flag of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant in his luggage.Four people were killed in a gun attack on a Jewish museum in Brussels last May. A 29-year-old man arrested in connection with that incident, Mehdi Nemmouche, is believed to have spent over a year in Syria. Police officers reportedly found a short video featuring the flag of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant in his luggage.