International
Belgium police arrest man who tried to drive his car into crowd
A 39-year-old suspect identified as Mohammed R has been arrested by cops in Antwerp, Belgium after he attempted to drive his car into a crowd in the northern part of the country.
The attempt by the suspect who is said to be a Frenchman of Tunisia origin who was arrested in possession of a rifle and bladed weapons has seen authorities raise the terror levels in the country.
Reports say the suspect drove the car at high speed towards crowds at the popular de Meir shopping street forcing passers-by to jump out of the way. Soldiers on patrol attempted to stop the car but it ran a red light and sped off, before coming to a halt.
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“At 11 am a car drove at pedestrians walking along the Meir, Antwerp’s largest shopping street, and “people had to jump to the side” to avoid the vehicle, said Serge Muyters, the Antwerp police chief.
Praising the work of the security services following the incident which no one was injured, Belgium’s prime minister, Charles Michel said; “We are monitoring the situation very closely,” he wrote on Twitter. “Our security services have been exemplary in their work in Antwerp.”
Significantly, it is worthy of note that this incident coincides with the one year anniversary of the deadly Brussels airport attack which claimed the lives of 32 people and injured 300 others.
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