Man kills four, injures dozens in grenade attack on crowded Belgium market

[kytwell 179]

LIEGE, Belgium - A man armed with hand grenades and guns opened fire in the crowded center of a Belgian city on Tuesday, killing four people and wounding dozens, officials said.

It was not immediately clear what motivated the attack in the busy Place Saint-Lambert, the central entry point to downtown shopping streets in the industrial city in eastern Belgium. The attack ignited a stampede of hundreds, as shoppers fled the explosions and bullets.

Interior Ministry official Peter Mertens said the attack did not involve terrorism but did not explain why he thought that.

Belgian officials identified the attacker as Norodine Amrani, 33, a Liege resident who they said had done jail time for offenses involving guns, drugs and sexual abuse. He was among the dead, but Liege Prosecutor Danielle Reynders told reporters it was unclear if he committed suicide or died by accident. He did not die at the hands of police, she said.

The dead also included two teenage boys, 15 and 17, and a 75-year-old woman, she said. The La Libre newspaper reported that a 2-year-old girl was clinging to life.

Reynders said Amrani had been summoned for police questioning on Tuesday but the reason for the questioning was not clear. He still had a number of grenades with him when he died, she said.

Officials said Amrani left his home in Liege with a backpack, armed with hand grenades, a revolve and an FAL assault rifle. He walked alone to the central square, then got onto a platform that gave him an ideal view of the square below, which was bedecked with a huge Christmas tree and crowded with shoppers.

From there, at about 6:30 a.m. ET, Amrani lobbed three hand grenades toward a nearby bus shelter, which serves 1,800 buses a day, then opened fire on the crowd. The explosions sent glass from the bus shelter across a wide area.

Earlier media reports had said as many as three men had launched the midday attack, which left blood splattered across the cobblestone streets of the central square.

Footage from the scene showed people, including a large group of children, fleeing down the streets of the city center — some still carrying shopping bags. Ambulances and police vehicles descended on the area in eastern Belgium.

As police helicopters and ambulances raced to the scene, the Belgian public broadcaster VRT reported that residents were ordered stay in their homes or seek shelter in shops or public buildings.

Another broadcaster, Radio Television Belge Francophone, said all buses had been asked to leave the city center and all shops in the area were closed, some with many customers stranded inside.

'We ran for our lives'

A medical post was set up in the courtyard of the palace of the Prince Bishops court house at the site. Emergency medical teams were called in from as far away as the Netherlands, Mertens said.

VRT Radio spoke with Herve Taveirne from the courthouse into which he had fled to escape the gunfire.

"We were in the courthouse building and were just leaving when we saw someone toss a grenade," Taveirne said. "I grabbed a little boy ... and took him back into the courthouse. Outside the building I heard shooting ... Our lives were in danger. This man was shooting in any direction. We ran for our lives at that point."

The television channel La Une said the attack included the assailant opening fire with a Kalashnikov automatic weapon on a bus in the areas.

An unidentified man who was wounded in the attack told Belgium's VRT television network that "someone threw grenades and fired shots."

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/13/9412808-man-kills-four-injures-dozens-in-grenade-attack-on-crowded-belgium-market

[slim 1,525]

They can have grenades and assault rifles in Belgium?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

They can have grenades and assault rifles in Belgium?

Obviously yes.

[lostinblue 1,989]

Attorney General Eric Holder suggested Thursday that weapons lost during the course of the failed "Fast and Furious" gunrunning operation will continue to show up at crime scenes in the U.S. and Mexico "for years to come."

Maybe they had connections in Europe also.....

[Sofiyya 1,687]

What a waste of skin.

[slim 1,525]

Attorney General Eric Holder suggested Thursday that weapons lost during the course of the failed "Fast and Furious" gunrunning operation will continue to show up at crime scenes in the U.S. and Mexico "for years to come."

Maybe they had connections in Europe also.....

They may have... but they wouldn't have bought grenades here. A FAL, sure. But grenades? Not a chance.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

They may have... but they wouldn't have bought grenades here. A FAL, sure. But grenades? Not a chance.

I think they get free grenades don't they?

Attorney General Eric Holder suggested Thursday that weapons lost during the course of the failed "Fast and Furious" gunrunning operation will continue to show up at crime scenes in the U.S. and Mexico "for years to come."

Maybe they had connections in Europe also.....

Giving guns to narco terrorists..what could go wrong?

[SuperDuper! 230]

Grenade attack at the market? And we thought the Black Friday Walmart Pepper Sprayer was shocking....

[arienardo1 3]

lolz

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

If someone did this in the US there would be the usual parade of liberals surrendering their rights to the government. Why do we not see this when it happens in Belgium? Do they hate Belgians?

[slim 1,525]

I think they get free grenades don't they?

Are those socialized too?

Grenade attack at the market? And we thought the Black Friday Walmart Pepper Sprayer was shocking....

This dude must've been a real amateur because he had a wonderful rifle and three grenades on an elevated platform overlooking a crowded area yet only killed three people and himself.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Are those socialized too?

This dude must've been a real amateur because he had a wonderful rifle and three grenades on an elevated platform overlooking a crowded area yet only killed three people and himself.

This is what happens when you give free grenades to everyone

Edited December 14, 2011 by Gary and Alla

[Susita 175]

The baby didn't survive.

"A 23-month-old baby died in a hospital late Tuesday after being wounded in the attack near a Christmas market in a city center square, said Katrin Delcourt, a spokeswoman for the Liege provincial governor's office. Others killed in the attack included two teenage boys, aged 15 and 17, and a 75-year-old woman, Liege public prosecutor Danielle Reynders told reporters."

This is horrible. My goes out to the victims & their families.

[106206 15]

This is a terrible tragedy that comes at a time of year we should be celebrating instead of hurting. Condolences to the families.

[kytwell 179]

So we can put a face to this

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/14/us-belgium-explosions-idUSTRE7BC10820111214