Knife attacker wounds Belgian police officer

The officers used a baton and sprayed the man with gas after the man injured the officer in the head

BRUSSELS: Belgian police said they shot and seriously injured a man who attacked them with a knife after he was found sleeping rough near a centre for asylum seekers in Brussels on Monday.

Two police officers approached two sleeping men and asked them to move on.

One then pulled out a knife and refused to drop it when asked, Brussels police spokesperson Ilse Van de Keere said.



The officers also used a baton and sprayed the man with gas. "The person continued to be threatening and injured the officer in the head," Van de Keere said.

The officer sustained a light cut. The other officer then fired on the man, hitting him in the chest and leg, police said. Police gave no details on the suspect's identity.