The man who stabbed a policeman on Monday morning on the Chaussée d'Anvers in Brussels has been identified. The Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office indicated as such at the end of Monday. A.E., aged 43, is of Belgian nationality and Egyptian origin. The Public Prosecutor’s Office states that he has a registered address with the Public Social Assistance Centre, but is likely to be a homeless man. His state of health is thought to be stable, but he is not yet in a condition for a hearing with investigators.
Police were on patrol in the vicinity of the Maximilian Park when they saw, shortly after 9.00 a.m., a man asleep on the Chaussée d'Anvers by the WTC Tower complex. They awoke him, and the man concerned immediately pulled out a knife.
The police requested several times that he drop his weapon, but he did not comply. The police then used tear gas. The man next attacked a policeman with his knife causing a slight wound to the policeman’s head. Another policeman then opened fire, firing three shots. He hit the attacker twice, once in the chest and once in the leg. The man was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
Two investigations have been opened, one to assess whether the policeman with the firearm used it legally, and one for the actual knife attack. The Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that there was no reason to believe that terrorist motives were behind the attack.
The Brussels Times
