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Soldiers attacked by knife-wielding man in Brussels, incident treated as ‘terrorist act’ Soldiers attacked by knife-wielding man in Brussels, incident treated as ‘terrorist act’
(about 13 hours later)
A knife-wielding man has been shot dead in the center of Brussels after authorities said he attacked a group of soldiers. A knife-wielding man has been shot dead in the center of Brussels after attacking a group of soldiers, injuring two of them, the Belgian authorities said.
The prosecutor's office confirmed the soldiers shot and killed the man in the Belgian capital. The incident is being treated as a terrorist attack. The man shouted “Allahu Akbar” (‘God is great’ in Arabic) twice while carrying out the attack, according to federal prosecutor’s office spokeswoman Esther Natus.
The man shouted "Allahu Akbar" (“God is great” in Arabic) twice while carrying out the attack, according to the federal prosecutor’s office spokeswoman, Esther Natus. “We do consider it a terror attack,” AP quoted Natus as saying.
“We do consider it a terror attack,” AP quoted Natus as saying, adding that the suspect had been neutralized. The soldiers were lightly wounded in the attack, which happened in the Belgian capital at about 8:15pm local time (6:15pm GMT). One was cut in the face, while the other suffered an injury to the hand.
“With the identity that we currently have, it is a 30-year-old man who is not known for terrorist activities,” Natus stated earlier. In an update on Saturday, the prosecutors said the attacker was identified as a 30-year-old man from Somalia, who arrived in Belgium in 2004 and became a Belgian citizen in 2015. He had a fake firearm and two copies of the Koran at the time of the attack, the statement said.
The incident took place about 20:15 local time (18:15 GMT). Belgian prosecutors said that the attacker is alive but in critical condition. Investigators searched the home of the attacker in Bruges, but would not disclose what they found there.
The soldiers were lightly wounded in the attack. One was cut in the face, while the other suffered an injury to the hand. The prosecutors said the man was not considered a terrorist threat and apparently acted alone. He has a criminal record for battery.
Belgium’s anti-terrorism Crisis Center tweeted that the situation was under control.
The attacker was known to police for his earlier involvement in “minor offenses,” according to Flemish broadcaster VRT.
According to RTBF, the attacker was a Somalian man.
Large numbers of police officers were deployed to the scene, which was cordoned off. The mayor of Brussels and the federal prosecutor also arrived at the scene.Large numbers of police officers were deployed to the scene, which was cordoned off. The mayor of Brussels and the federal prosecutor also arrived at the scene.
The Belgian Prime Minister, Charles Michel, expressed "all our support to our soldiers" in a Twitter post. "Our security services stay vigilant and we monitor the situation closely," he said. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel expressed “all our support to our soldiers” in a Twitter post. “Our security services stay vigilant and we monitor the situation closely,” he said.