Anti-Terror Raid In Brussels Kills One Man

A house in Brussels was stormed by French and Belgian police after they were fired upon. The police were investigating a link to the Paris attacks in November. One suspect, who was armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, was killed. One French police officer was injured along with three Belgian police officers in the operation.

Prime Minister Charles Michel of Belgium said they had a lot of luck and the situation would have been dramatic. The anti-terror operation lasted over three hours and paralyzed a neighborhood in the capital of Belgium. A day care center and schools were placed on lockdown and workers at an Audi plant located nearby were ordered to remain inside the facility by management.

The situation during the operation in Brussels was similar to the situation in November and December when schools and subways were closed and a fireworks display for New Year’s Eve was cancelled due to the threats of terrorist attacks. It remains unclear whether there are more suspects in the case. Due to this police operations are going to continue.

A statement from the Office of the Belgian Federal Prosecutor indicated that an investigation is currently being conducted. Details of the latest operation will be released in an upcoming news conference. It added that they are currently working on identifying the dead suspect.

Prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt said people started running when gunshots were heard. It remains uncertain if all of the people who fled were innocent bystanders or suspects.

Anti-Terror Raid In Brussels Kills One Man - image credit: metro.co.uk

The Forest neighborhood anti-terror operations were connected to the terror attacks on November 13 at cafes, a concert hall and stadium in Paris. One hundred thirty people died in the attacks. The prosecutor said the police did not expect any violent resistance during the operation, which showed that they were not targeting major suspects like Salah Abdeslam. Most of the attackers in Paris died during the attacks, including the brother of Abdeslam, Brahmin.

Four months after the attacks, Belgian authorities are still looking into the role of Belgian nationals along with other individuals living in the country. Abdelhamid Abaaoud was the suspected mastermind of the attacks. Abaaoud lived in Brussels. Bilal Hadfi, one of the attackers, supposedly lived in the Forest neighborhood. Hadfi killed himself outside a stadium in a northern suburb in Paris. On the other hand, Abaaoud was killed during a police raid.

The neighborhood was placed on lockdown for five hours after gunshots were heard. Three police officers were wounded after they were hit while opening the door of the apartment located in Rue du Dries. Another police officer was later wounded during an exchange of gunfire.

A wide perimeter was sealed by police after the gunshots were heard. The perimeter was intended to keep residents and journalists safe. Police looked for a suspect who may have escaped the operation as a helicopter hovered above. Hooded police officers with body armor were seen in the area as spectators started to gather.

Counter-terrorism efforts were increased by Belgian authorities after four people were killed at a Jewish Museum in Brussels by a lone gunman. The Islamic State has been recruiting Belgian nationals and officials have expressed concern over the things radicalized recruits would do when they return from Iraq or Syria.

Posted by James Fried on Tuesday March 15 2016, 11:34 PM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Uncategorized. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0