The European terrorist scare came back with a bang moments ago when gunfire broke out earlier today during a counterterrorism raid in the Belgian capital, local media reported. According to NBC, Belgian media reported that at least one suspect fled and at least one police officer was lightly wounded in the incident in the Forest area of the city. Police sealed off the neighborhood.
As RT adds, a police officer was injured during a house raid in the southern suburb of Forest, though it was unclear whether he was hit by gunfire, a police spokeswoman said, as cited by Reuters. She declined to comment on reports that counter-terrorism units were involved in the search.
A victim is removed from the scene where shots were fired during a police search of a house in the suburb of Forest near Brussels, Belgium, March 15, 2016. © Francois Lenoir / Reuters
La Dernière Heure newspaper reported that a Kalashnikov was the gun used in the shooting, and that the shooter is on the loose.
The mayor of the municipality, Marc John Ghyssels, confirmed the shooting to Le Soir newspaper, but said the number of suspects on the run has not yet been determined.
The Forest neighborhood is close to Molenbeek, home of several people involved in the November 13 terror attacks which killed 130 people. RT reminds us that Belgian authorities are still on the hunt for suspects and associates linked to the Brussels-based masterminds of the attacks.
This is a developing story.