BRUSSELS (AFP) – A knife-wielding man was arrested outside the Belgian prime minister’s offices in Brussels yesterday following a confrontation with security guards, authorities said.
No-one was injured in the incident, which happened at around 10am (0900 GMT), police said, adding that they had launched an investigation.
“I would like to warmly thank the military police officers for their efficiency,” Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who was not at the premises at the time, wrote on social media X. “I am relieved that no-one was injured in the incident. Together with the police, we are closely monitoring the situation”.
Local media reported that the suspect, who has not been named, attempted to break into the prime minister’s offices, located at number 16 on the central Rue de la Loi.
Authorities said the man “made threats against the military personnel” guarding the premises, who managed to subdue him before the police arrived.
His motives were not yet clear, the police said.
De Croo – the leader of a centrist Flemish party who took office in 2020 and is to step down once lengthy post-election negotiations to form a new government come to fruition – was “very shocked” by the incident, his spokesman, Barend Leyts, told AFP.
Rue de la Loi is a major thoroughfare connecting the seat of many European institutions to the Brussels city centre.
The prime minister’s policy unit and administrative departments are housed in one of many official buildings in the area, which is dotted with embassies, ministries and government agencies.
