BRUSSELS — A man killed two police officers and a bystander Tuesday in the Belgian city of Liege before he was fatally shot in what prosecutors are investigating as a terrorist attack, a prosecutor said.
The attacker, who was not immediately named by Belgian authorities, had been in prison since 2003 and was allowed out Monday on a two-day leave, Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens said. The furlough put Belgian officials on the defensive about whether they should have been able to predict that the man was a security risk.
The incident unfolded at midmorning in the center of Liege, the third-largest city in Belgium, when the man came up behind two female police officers and attacked them with a knife, then grabbed one of their handguns and shot both dead, prosecutor Philippe Dulieu said.
Then the attacker shot a 22-year-old man who was sitting in the passenger seat of a nearby parked car. The assailant next walked into a school, where he took a woman hostage and forced a standoff with police during which students were evacuated. The man was subsequently killed in a gun battle with police officers who rushed to the scene, Dulieu said.
“An investigation into the incident was opened over a presumed terrorist offense,” Dulieu said.
Continues:
3 killed in Belgium in suspected terrorist attack
Another reason why not to open carry.
The attacker, who was not immediately named by Belgian authorities, had been in prison since 2003 and was allowed out Monday on a two-day leave, Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens said. The furlough put Belgian officials on the defensive about whether they should have been able to predict that the man was a security risk.
The incident unfolded at midmorning in the center of Liege, the third-largest city in Belgium, when the man came up behind two female police officers and attacked them with a knife, then grabbed one of their handguns and shot both dead, prosecutor Philippe Dulieu said.
Then the attacker shot a 22-year-old man who was sitting in the passenger seat of a nearby parked car. The assailant next walked into a school, where he took a woman hostage and forced a standoff with police during which students were evacuated. The man was subsequently killed in a gun battle with police officers who rushed to the scene, Dulieu said.
“An investigation into the incident was opened over a presumed terrorist offense,” Dulieu said.
Continues:
3 killed in Belgium in suspected terrorist attack
Another reason why not to open carry.
