The horrific attack occurred yesterday afternoon when a man shouted “Allahu Akbar”, meaning “God is greatest” in Arabic, attacked the two women with a machete.
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“We have been informed by federal prosecutors that an investigation has started for attempted terrorist murder… given certain elements [in the case]”, Charles Michel tells reporters. “Thoughts go to the victims, their relatives and police”.
A third officer at the scene shot the attacker, who died of his wounds at a hospital, officials said. He said that emergency services have erected a security cordon around boulevard Pierre Mainz, near the police station.
Interior Minister Jan Jambon called the attack a “vile act”. Numerous perpetrators of the November 13 carnage in Paris that killed 130 people were also residents of Belgium. “We are closely monitoring the situation”.
A large security perimeter has been set up around the site of the attack in the city 50 kilometres south of Brussels, and prosecutors are on site, Belga wrote.
Police officers check the identification of a man near the police headquarters in Charleroi.
Charleroi police spokesman David Quinaux said the man had a machete in a sports bag and took it out as he reached a security checkpoint outside the headquarters.
There was no immediate indication of the man’s identity; Belgian media reported that the attacker had no papers with him.
Belgium has been on edge since suicide bombers attacked an airport terminal and a metro station in the Belgian capital on 22 March, killing 32 people and injuring many more.
It hasn’t been officially confirmed yet but it certainly looks as if there has been another Islamic terror attack in Belgium.
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He was identified as a 33-year-old Algerian, who had resided in Belgium since 2012, and was known to police for criminal offenses, but not for terrorist links.
