Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said Saturday that “preliminary indications” suggest an attack by a machete-wielding man on two police officers in Charleroi was an act of terrorism.
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In June, Belgian authorities charged two men with terrorist offences amid reports of a planned attack on a Euro 2016 fanzone in central Brussels.
“Thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and police officers”, Michel posted on Twitter.
Belgium has been on high alert in the wake of the March 22 suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State extremist group that killed 32 people in Brussels.
RTBF sources said that two women police officers were injured in the man’s attack, with one of them having sustained serious injuries to her face. The other was slightly wounded.
Armed Charleroi Police officers who were guarding the station converged around the wooden hut checkpoint.
“We don’t know if this is the action of a lone wolf”, Jambon told RTF television. In a tweet, he said: “Despicable act in Charleroi”.
Belgium has been on a high state of alert since the attacks in Paris on November 13 that killed 130 victims. Last week, Belgian police arrested and indicted a terrorist suspect who was alleged to have been plotting an attack in Belgium.
The incident, which took place near the Charleroi police headquarters, follows a series of knife and gun attacks carried out across Europe in recent weeks, some of which are being linked to terrorist motives.
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The assailant reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great” in Arabic) during the assault outside the city’s main police station.
