The man who stabbed a police officer in Maximilien Park in Brussels on 17 September will appear before the Correctional Tribunal in Brussels on Monday. He will be charged with attempted murder, resisting arrest and possessing an illegal weapon, the Brussels prosecutor’s office announced on Friday.
The prosecutor’s office says the incident happened while local police officers were patrolling near Maximilien Park. The officers involved attempted to rouse A.E., a 43-year-old Belgian of Egyptian origin who was sleeping in the park. When the officers asked him to leave, he became aggressive and brandished a knife.
The officers asked him to drop the weapon several times and used tear gas. But the man refused to put the knife down and attacked one of the officers. The victim received a minor injury to his head. One of the other officers pulled out his gun and fired three shots.
A.E. was shot in the chest and leg. He was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. The prosecutor’s office says his condition has since improved.
The Brussels Times
