A man wielding a knife was shot dead after wounding a soldier in Brussels in an "attempted terrorist murder"
This video grab shows police officials and a soldier looking at a man, likely the attacker, on the pavement in Brussels. Pic/AFP
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A man wielding a knife was shot dead after wounding a soldier in Brussels in an "attempted terrorist murder".
Belgian prosecutors said the attacker yelled "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) during the assault before being shot by a soldier in the centre of city, which has been on high alert since last year's carnage at the airport and on the metro.
"Overnight, police raided the suspect's home in Bruges, northwest Belgium, with federal prosecutors opening an investigation into the attempted terrorist murder," a statement said.
During the attack near the Grand Place in central Brussels at 8 pm (6 pm GMT), the man rushed at several soldiers from behind and struck them with a knife, prompting one of them to open fire. "The man was hit and died shortly afterwards in hospital from his wounds," the prosecutors' statement said. Cops found a replica gun and two copies of the Koran on him.
The attacker
The assailant, a Belgian national of Somali origin born in 1987, arrived in the country in 2004 and was granted Belgian nationality in 2015. He had an assault and battery charge on his record from February, security officials said.
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