VIDEO: Belgian gunmen kills 5, wounds more than 100 before killing himself
Law enforcement take people to safety after an attack in Liège, Belgium, on Tuesday. (Photo from ABCau video.)
At least five people were killed and more than 100 wounded by a man firing an assault rifle and lobbing grenades at a crowded bus shelter in Liège, Belgium on Tuesday.
The attacker, identified by police as 33-year-old Norodine Amrani, eventually killed himself, though as of Wednesday police were still trying to figure out how he’d done that. Amrani has a history of run-ins with the law including a prison terms for growing extensive quantities of marijuana in a storage warehouse. When police went to that warehouse again on Tuesday, after identifying the shooter, they found the fifth victim, a cleaning woman.
Other deceased include an 18-month-old baby who was killed at the bus stop, near a popular Christmas market that draws thousands.
“It was terrible. I’m still shocked. I saw just one man, shooting people, some explosions, two or three, and all the people running from there to here,” an eye witness said.
Law enforcement officials were quick to disclaim any connection between Amrani and terrorism, but they said they were still searching for a motive.
Prosecutor Danielle Reynard described the perpetrator as well known to police. In addition to the jail time he served on the marijuana charges, he was questioned about his connections to guns and explosives.
“He’s known for weapons, for buying and selling stolen goods, for drugs, but he’s not known in any way for terrorist activity,” Reynard said.
This is the second, violent attack in a European city in as many days. A gunman opened fire on a crowd of Senagalese men in Florence, Italy, on Tuesday.
“I saw bodies, all the people laying down, in the glass,” a man who had been driving by the square said. He stopped to try and help the wounded.