In what appears to be the latest weekly terrorist attack in Europe, 7 days after the deadly events in Barcelona, Sky News and Reuters report that a man was shot in the center of Brussels on Friday evening after attacking two soldiers with a knife, according to state broadcaster RTBF reported.
The incident took place about 20:15 local time.
The man was taken into custody in critical condition, according to Belgian prosecutors. But local media outlet Le Soir is now reporting that the attacker has died. Prosecutors are also reportedly treating it as a terrorist incident. "We think this is an act of terror," a federal prosecutor told Le Soir.A man attacked soldiers in Brussels with a machete tonight. Pics I took in the street. #Brussels #Brusselsattack #Bruxelles pic.twitter.com/LqDmXFnLa2
— Thomas da Silva Rosa (@tdasilvarosa)
Police confirmed to the Belgian media that the suspect - who brought a knife to a gun fight - was shot, the VRT broadcaster reports. According to RTBF, the attacker was a Somali man about 30 years old, who shouted "Allahu Akbar" during his assault. The soldiers suffered slight injuries to the hand and face.
#Bruxelles: des militaires attaqués au couteau ont abattu un homme - pic.twitter.com/kKi8ElUvNK
— ???? MyActu ? (@69Myactu)
#BREAKING Soldiers shot a man who attacked them with machete in Brussels: Belgium media pic.twitter.com/sKH4CfKlOs
— Guy Elster (@guyelster)
The attacker was not known to have links to terrorism, according to Belgian prosecutors cited by Reuters. He was known to police for his earlier involvement in “minor offenses,” according to the VRT.
"With the identity that we currently have it is a 30-year-old man who is not known for terrorist activities," a spokeswoman for the prosecution service said.
Belgian Police covering the scene after a machete attack ended by retaliating soldiers firing. #Brusselsattack #Brussels #Bruxelles pic.twitter.com/fZRZ6MfTcI
— Thomas da Silva Rosa (@tdasilvarosa)
A large numbers of police officers were deployed to the scene. The mayor of Brussels and the federal prosecutor also arrived at the scene according to Sky News. 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.
