Knife-wielding Muslim in Brussels asks passersby if they are Jewish

Prosecutors say man not considered a terrorist, is suspected of attempted murder ‘with connection to his religious or philosophical convictions’

By Cnaan Liphshiz 16 October 2019, 9:07 pm Edit

Cnaan Liphshiz was a Jewish World reporter at The Times of Israel

JTA — Belgian police arrested a Muslim man who asked passersby on a Brussels street if they were Jewish while holding a knife and shouting about Allah.

No one was hurt in the incident last week in Koekelberg, a northwestern neighborhood of the Belgian capital.

Police subdued the man in the neighboring district of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek following an hourlong search, the news site HLN reported Friday. His name was not disclosed.

The suspect is not considered a terrorist, a spokesman for the Brussels Prosecutor’s Office told HLN, though he is believed to have committed attempted murder “with connection to his religious or philosophical convictions.”