From the Liveblog of
Sunday, August 7, 2016
IS claims Belgium attacker as its own
The Islamic State has claimed the man who attacked and wounded two policewomen with a machete in Belgium as one of its soldiers, according to the terror group’s Aamaq news agency.
The response mirrors other statements from Aamaq claiming previous terror attacks in Europe.
Breaking: #ISIS' Amaq reported: machete attacker on police in #Charleroi #Belgium is "Soldier of the Caliphate" pic.twitter.com/Q1IHRj88P5
— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) August 7, 2016
At the same time, Belgian prosecutors say the man was an Algerian national known to police for criminal offenses but not terrorism.
The two police officers survived the attack but the assailant was shot dead.
The 33-year-old attacker, identified by the initials K.B., had been living in Belgium since 2012, the federal prosecutor’s office says in a statement.
— with AFP
The Times of Israel Community.