Man who killed police officer in Brussels was on extremist watchlist

On Thursday, a man killed a police officer in Brussels and stabbed another who survived.

According to the second officer, the suspect shouted "Allahu Akbar" during the knife attack. The suspect is in hospital after being shot by other police officers.

The suspect targeted the two officers, whilst they were stopped at a red light in a patrol vehicle. He first stabbed the driver in the throat, and then stabbed the second officer in the arm.

According to authorities, the suspect walked into a police station earlier in the day and asked for psychological help. During the visit, he made incoherent remarks and talked about his hatred of police. He was escorted to a psychiatric unit, but when the police called later, he had already left.

Belgian prosecutors have said that the attacker was on a list of potentially violent extremists. He was in jail from 2013 to 2019 for non-terror offences.

The federal prosecutor's office said the attack is being treated as assassination and attempted murder in a terrorist context.

Image by Ji-Sun Yoo from Pixabay