2016 stabbing of Charleroi police officers

On 6 August 2016, a man attacked two policewomen with a machete in Charleroi, Belgium, before being shot dead by another police officer.[2]

2016 stabbing of Charleroi police officers
Part of Terrorism in Belgium and Islamic terrorism in Europe
Tour bleue (Blue tower) by Jean Nouvel, the police headquarter of Charleroi.
Location of Charleroi in Belgium
LocationCharleroi, Belgium
Date6 August 2016 (UTC+02:00)
Attack type
Knife attack
WeaponsMachete
Deaths1 (the perpetrator)
Injured2
PerpetratorKhaled Babbouri[1]
MotiveIslamic extremism

Background

The attack was one of a series of attacks on Belgian police officers in 2016, including the stabbing of two officers on 7 September 2016 in Molenbeek and the 5 October 2016 stabbing of Brussels police officers.[3][4]

Stabbing

According to the accounts of Belgian police and prosecutors, the attack began just before 4:00 p.m., when the perpetrator approached two officers stationed at the checkpoint at the front of the police headquarters, immediately pulled a machete from the sports bag he carried and swung it violently toward the officer's heads.[5] A third officer posted nearby shot the assailant.[5] The attacker is reported to have said "Allahu Akbar" during the attack.[6][7] Prime Minister Charles Michel said the incident is believed to be a terrorist attack, which would make it the first terrorist attack in Belgium since the Brussels bombings in March.[5][8] The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attack.[1]

Perpetrator

The attacker was a 33-year-old Algerian man who had a criminal record.[1][9] He had lived in Belgium illegally from 2012 until his death.[10][11] He attended the mosque at Farciennes.[12] Belgian authorities have released the perpetrator's initials, K.B., but have not released his name.[5] Media outlets released the man's name as Khaled Babbouri.[13]

Two deportation orders had been issued for the perpetrator, but not carried out because Algeria and Belgium lack a diplomatic agreement under which Algerian citizens can be involuntarily sent back to Algeria.[5] The perpetrator was not securely detained because Belgium has fewer spaces in secure detention facilities than individuals for whom deportation orders have been issued.[5]

Victims

Both victims were policewomen (Corinne and Hakima). One suffered an injury to her jaw and had to undergo a second operation to avoid facial paralysis. Another suffered a "large facial scar", and had life-threatening injuries. Both were operated in hospital as emergency cases.[14]

Investigation

Interior minister Jan Jambon stated that OCAM (Organ for Coordination for Analysis of Threats) is evaluating the attack "to determine if it is terrorism."[15] A "social housing" home was visited by the police the evening of the attack and further investigated by federal police, an evidence unit, and a bomb squad the following day. Le Soir reported that an Algerian family live at the residence.[16]

Reaction

King Philippe of Belgium visited the victims and the site of the attack.[17]

The Mouvement Réformateur party presented a law on the Belgian Parliament that Belgian foreign aid be withheld from countries that don't allow the repatriation of their own citizens who are illegal immigrants in Belgium, and the Charleroi attack was cited as an example.[18][19]

See also

References
  1. "Belgium machete attacker was Algerian, say officials". BBC News Online. 7 August 2016.
  2. "Machete attack on police may be terrorism". Bloomberg Politics. 6 August 2016.
  3. "Policières attaquées en Belgique: six interpellations". AFP. 30 November 2016. ProQuest 1844558637.
  4. "Liege shooting: Two police and passer-by dead in Belgium". BBC. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  5. Lawrence, Norman (7 August 2016). "Belgium Launches Terror Investigation Into Charleroi Machete Attack". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  6. "Two Police Wounded By Machete-Wielding Man". Sky News. 6 August 2016.
  7. "Machete attack outside police station leaves two Belgian officers injured as third officer shoots assailant dead". The Daily Telegraph. 6 August 2016.
  8. "Belgian police attacker shot and killed in Charleroi". BBC News. 6 August 2016.
  9. "Belgian official says machete attacker known for petty crime". Associated Press. Retrieved 9 August 2016. n Algerian man who attacked two Belgian policewomen with a machete over the weekend was known to authorities for petty crimes
  10. "Islamic State claims responsibility for machete attack on Belgian police officers". The Guardian. 7 August 2016.
  11. "Isil claim machete attack on Belgian policewomen". The Telegraph. 7 August 2016.
  12. "Khaled Babouri, le terroriste algérien de 33 ans qui a frappé deux policières à coups de machette, fréquentait une mosquée de Farciennes". La Novelle Gazette. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  13. "Attaque à Charleroi: ni arme ni explosifs dans la maison du frère de l'agresseur". Le Soir (in French). Retrieved 9 August 2016. En séjour illégal en Belgique, Khaled Babbouri, un Algérien de 33 ans, a été abattu ce samedi après avoir attaqué deux policières dans un commissariat de Charleroi.
  14. Oscar Schneider. "Charleroi machete attack - both policewomen out of hospital". The Brussels Times. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  15. "Belgique : l'État islamique revendique l'attaque de Charleroi". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 8 August 2016. Le ministre belge de l'Intérieur Jan Jambon a condamné sur Twitter «un acte ignoble» et précisé qu'une évaluation OCAM (Organe de coordination pour l'analyse de la menace) était en cours. Cette organisation est chargée de déterminer s'il s'agit d'un acte de terrorisme.
  16. "Perquisition à Farciennes en lien avec l'attaque à la machette à Charleroi". Le Soir (in French). Retrieved 8 August 2016. Une perquisition avait lieu dimanche soir à Farciennes dans un quartier de logements sociaux. L'habitation concernée, déjà visitée par les forces de l'ordre dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche, se trouve rue Ry de la Glacière. Une famille algérienne vit à cette adresse.
  17. Robert Hackwill. "BELGIUM'S KING PHILIPPE AND QUEEN MATHILDE VISIT CHARLEROI ATTACK SITE". Euronews. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  18. "Le MR suggère de lier aide au développement à la réadmission". Le Vif - L'Express (in French). Retrieved 23 August 2016. La polémique sur la réadmission de citoyens qui ne sont pas en ordre de séjour sur le territoire belge avait rebondi après qu'un citoyen algérien en situation irrégulière avait attaqué des policières à la machette à Charleroi.
  19. "Expulsions: le MR sort la menace de l'aide au développement - Le Soir Plus". Plus.lesoir.be (in French). Retrieved 2016-08-27.

50.4120°N 4.4536°E / 50.4120; 4.4536

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