Belgian police officer wounded in knife attack

A police officer was wounded on Monday after suffering a knife attack near Maximilien Park in central Brussels, officials said.

The incident took place in the morning. The officer sustained slight cuts while the attacker was hit by police shots in the chest and a leg, according to VRT, a Flemish public channel.

The Brussels prosecutor's office stated there was nothing to suggest a terror attack, Efe news reported.

According to Belga news agency, the attacker, whose identity was not disclosed, was rushed to hospital in "critical state" and apparently was a migrant who was sleeping rough in the park when he was woken up by a police patrol.

The migrant pulled out a knife against the police officers, who asked him to drop it but after he refused, sprayed him with CS gas, used as a riot control agent.

The man responded by assaulting an officer, wounding him "slightly on the head", and prompting the other officer to open fire.

This incident resulted in the opening of two investigations, one to ascertain if the police weapon was used according to standing engagement rules and the other related to the knife attack.

Maximilien Park is located beside Brussel's Gare du Nord, where hundreds of migrants, mainly Sudanese and Eritreans, gather on a daily basis.

--IANS

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