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Attack on Belgian army barracks

October 26, 2015

A man has been arrested following a stunted attack on army barracks in a town south of Brussels. Prosecutors have expressed doubt that terrorist motives inspired the attempt.

https://p.dw.com/p/1GuDR
Belgien Militär Kaserne bei Flawinne
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/L. Dubrule

The incident occurred in the French-speaking town of Flawinne, which is home to one of Belgium's largest military bases. It's located roughly 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Brussels.

Several shots were fired and the attacker fled the scene. No injuries were reported.

Prosecutor Vincent Macq told the Belga news agency that the man had been caught. "It is important to calm people," he said. "There is nothing to suggest there are others involved."

A spokesman for the case told a press conference that "for the moment there are no elements that would allow us to say we are facing a terrorist examination."

He added that prosecutors are not ruling out the theory that the attack was an "isolated incident" and the attacker a "psychologically unstable person."

Some media outlets reported the man had bombs in his car, though officials now say that none was found.

Earlier in the day, local journalists took to Twitter to share images from the site of the attack.

In May 2014, a gunman attacked the Jewish Museum in Brussels, killing four. The country has seen growing concern over the number of citizens travelling to the Middle East to fight for the "Islamic State" terrorist group.

blc/kms (Reuters, AP)