King Philippe of the Belgians has travelled to Liege this afternoon after a shooting where two female police officers and passerby were killed by a 31-year-old prisoner from Rochefort who had been granted leave just yesterday. The King is there with Prime Minister Charles Michel and is currently being updated on the situation.
The man attacked the two policers with a knife, managed to grab their weapons and shot them with their own weapon. Afterwards, he shot a 22-year-old passerby in a car. He also took a cleaning lady in a nearby school hostage. He fled the building while firing the weapon, injuring two more police officers, before being shot to death.
The Belgian Royal Palace tweeted, “Our thoughts are with the victims of the terrible incident in Liege. Much strength to the relatives.”
The terrorism threat level in Belgium has not been raised, despite the federal authorities saying that it might be a terrorist act. The area around the school building has now been evacuated and Mayor Willy Demeyer has confirmed that all the children are safe and have been transferred to another location. The children will receive counselling and the school will remain closed tomorrow.
Meanwhile, politicians from all over the world have tweeted their support.
Terrifying images from #Liege where 2 policewomen and 1 bystander lost their lives. My thoughts go to the victims of the attack in #Liege and their families. 🇧🇪
— Eduard Kukan (@EduardKukan) May 29, 2018
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