- The city prosecutor’s office said the attacker was a Belgian national “of Egyptian origin”
- Officials said the suspect lunged with the knife and was in turn wounded in the head and leg when a second officer opened fire three times
BRUSSELS: A Belgian police officer received a knife wound to the head and his alleged attacker was shot and seriously wounded on Monday, Brussels police said.
The city prosecutor’s office said the attacker was a Belgian national “of Egyptian origin” who was born in 1975 and appears to be homeless.
The incident took place near Parc Maximilien, an area known as a gathering point for mainly North African immigrants hoping to head on to Britain, police spokeswoman Ilse Van Der Keere said.
According to prosecutors, an officer had found the suspect resting on a pavement and had asked him to move on, whereupon the individual drew a knife.
Officials said the suspect lunged with the knife and was in turn wounded in the head and leg when a second officer opened fire three times.
“His medical condition has stabilized but he is not yet ready to be interviewed,” the prosecutor’s office said. In an earlier statement, officials had said they had no reason to suspect terrorism.