Status: 01/31/2023 07:27 a.m
A man attacked passengers with a knife in the busy Brussels metro station Schuman. Three people were injured, one of them critically. So far, the police have not seen any evidence of a terrorist background.
Police and prosecutors are continuing their investigations into a knife attack in the immediate vicinity of the EU Commission. After the incident with three injuries – one of them life-threatening, as a police spokeswoman said – the prosecutor said on Monday evening that there was no evidence of terrorism. Further details on the motive and possible background to the crime were not given.
Suspected perpetrator arrested at the scene
The attack took place in a busy subway station exactly at the end of the working day, when a man attacked several people with a knife. Footage circulating on social media is said to show police at gunpoint making the suspect lie on the ground. The alleged perpetrator was arrested in the subway station, as a dpa reporter observed on site. Emergency services with dogs shielded the scene.
Rescue workers treated an injured young man right in front of the main entrance of the EU Commission, the seat of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The Schuman station is right between important EU institutions and is used by many EU employees. The EU Commission, the Council of the European Union and the EU Foreign Service are right next to the station.
In the evening, Brussels Mayor Philippe Close wrote on Twitter: “Knife attack in the Schuman station”. Good cooperation between the police led to a quick arrest. EU Council President Charles Michel thanked the emergency services and expressed his condolences to the victims. As the Brussels transport company announced on Twitter, public transport in the area around the Schuman stop had been partially stopped due to the police operation.