Ten years after a brutal knife attack left two Belgian police officers seriously injured, the couple say they are still only “surviving”, living with severe trauma despite the attacker having been convicted and released.
The attack took place on 5 October 2016, months after the terrorist attacks that shook Belgium and at a time when Islamic State had called for attacks on police.
That day, the male officer, who was in uniform, and his wife, who was in plain clothes, were attacked by a man armed with two knives. The officer, now 69 and retired, said he was stabbed 16 times.
“I lost half the mobility in my left arm, but it could have been worse,” he said. “The doctor told me that two stab wounds missed my carotid artery by just two millimetres.”
A police patrol called to the scene intervened shortly afterwards. The attacker, 44-year-old Hicham Diop, a former soldier and ex-kickboxing champion, knocked one officer unconscious and stole his baton.
Another officer then shot him in the leg, but five officers were still needed to overpower him.
Although the assault happened amid heightened fears of terrorism, the courts ultimately ruled out a terrorist motive. In 2018, the Brussels Court of Appeal sentenced Diop to 15 years in prison for attempted murder, but he has since been released.
Speaking to Belga news agency, the couple described the lasting impact of the attack. Both suffer from severe post-traumatic stress disorder and need weekly psychological care.
“We don’t live any more, we survive,” the husband said. “Even after 10 years, we are still on medication and we still sleep very badly.”
He said he tries to stay as active as possible to avoid thinking about what happened, while his wife has become increasingly withdrawn. “We still feel unsafe. As a police officer, you are already extremely vigilant. After an attack like that, you become even more so.”
Ordinary tasks have also become deeply difficult. The couple said even shopping now feels like a military operation, with one watching the surroundings while the other loads the trolley.
“Sometimes we have panic attacks, so we leave everything and go,” he said.
The former officers, who are 50% and 85% disabled, said they receive Belgium’s national solidarity status, which is granted to victims of terrorist acts. The designation entitles them to a compensation pension and reimbursement for medical treatment.
Now members of the association Life4Brussels, they recently took part in the opening of an exhibition at the European Parliament dedicated to victims of attacks.
