- Unknown gunman opened fire in central LIege, in eastern Belgium
- Killed two police officers, injured a third and one civilian in shootout
- He then took a female cleaner hostage inside a nearby high school
Two police officers have been killed in a shooting with a kidnapper outside a high school in east Belgium.
The unnamed man opened fire on police officers in the city of Liege, at around 10.30am local time, and took a female cleaner hostage inside the school.
A third police officer and a civilian were reportedly also injured during the shootout near L’athénée Léonie de Waha, a secondary school in the city centre.
Scene: A witness’ photo show emergency services in central Liege after the unnamed man opened fire on police officers and then took a woman hostage inside a high school
Local news website DHnet.be reported that the man had shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ as he fired, citing police sources.
‘Two officers were hit and then the man went on the run,’ said a local source.
‘He was seen running into the Waha secondary school, where he was said to have taken a female cleaner hostage.’
Minutes later, anti-terrorist special forces police could be seen surrounding the area, which went into lock down.
The kidnapper was ‘neutralised’ at 11am.
Belgium has been the target of terrorist attacks by Islamic State operatives in recent years, leading to a massive increase in security across the country.
More to follow
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