Brussels troops shoot and kill knife-wielding attacker

The federal prosecutor’s office in Belgium says Belgian soldiers have shot dead a man in downtown Brussels after he attacked the troops with a knife.

Spokeswoman Esther Natus said that “the suspect is dead” in the clash Friday night, adding that one soldier was “slightly injured.”

“A man armed with a knife attacked a group of soldiers. The soldiers fired at him and neutralized the individual,” Belgian Federal Police spokesman Jonathan Pfunde said.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted: “All our support is with our soldiers. Our security services remain on alert. We are following the situation closely.”

Associated Press television images from central Brussels showed that police had sealed off a main street not far from the Belgian capital’s main Grand Place tourist attraction.

Belgium has been on high alert since suicide bombers killed 32 people in attacks on March 22, 2016, at the Brussels main airport and subway system.

The federal prosecutor’s office handles terror probes in Belgium.

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UPDATES:

2:05 p.m.: This article was updated with the suspected attacker reported dead.

1:30 p.m.: This article was updated with the police spokesman’s quote.

This article was originally published at 1:10 p.m.