Attacker apparently shot by third officer after assault in Charleroi, south of Brussels, that left one woman in hospital

Two police officers have been attacked with a machete outside a police station in Belgium, local authorities have said. The officers, both women, were assaulted in Charleroi, south of Brussels, on Saturday afternoon by an attacker shouting in Arabic, police said.



According to Charleroi police, the attacker, who has not yet been identified, was shot by a third officer at the scene and has since died. One of the two officers was believed to be badly injured, but both are now out of danger, Charleroi police said. The force published a tweet alleging that the attacker shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) as he approached the officers.

Police Charleroi (@PoliceCharleroi) 2 policières blessées par machette devant hôtel de police par auteur criant Allah Ouhakbar. Individu abattu mais vivant #PoliceCharleroi

A witness told the RTL news station that one of the officers had suffered wounds to the face and had been taken to hospital, while the second victim was less seriously injured. Emergency services have erected a security cordon around boulevard Pierre Mainz, near the police station.

Charles Michel, the Belgian prime minister, strongly condemned the attack and said his thoughts were with the victims. He plans to return from his holiday to meet police on Sunday, according to state TV channel RTBF.

Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) Je condamne l'attaque à Charleroi avec force. Pensées vont aux victimes, leurs proches et les policiers. Nous suivons la situation de près.

Belgium’s interior minister, Jan Jambon, announced that the national terrorism-risk analysis agency, Ocam, was evaluating the situation. In a tweet he said: “Despicable act in Charleroi. All my support to the two injured officers, as well as their colleagues and families. An Ocam evaluation is under way.”

Belgium has been on high terror alert since a series of coordinated attacks in the country’s capital in March that killed 32 people and injured 300. Many of those who carried out the attacks on Paris last November in which 130 people died were also based in Belgium.



The country has increasingly found itself at the centre of Europe’s battle against terrorism, and authorities have faced strong criticism for not doing enough to keep tabs on suspected extremists. Brussels, which houses many European Union institutions and the Nato headquarters, is on the second-highest security alert level, indicating a “serious” status with a “possible and probable” threat.

Isis has called for its supporters to carry out attacks in Belgium, France and the UK, along with other countries supporting the US-led coalition that is bombing territories it controls in Syria and Iraq.

