Belgian law enforcement officials are investigating a shooting that happened on Tuesday as a terrorist attack after a gunman killed three people while reportedly yelling “Allahu Akbar.”
The attacker had been in prison since 2003 and was released on Monday on a two-day leave before allegedly carrying out the attack in the Belgian city of Liege, The Washington Post reported.
The gunman, who reportedly yelled “Allahu Akbar” during the attack, ran up behind two female police officers and attacked them with a knife before stealing one of their handguns and shooting them both to death. The attacker also shot and killed a 22-year-old male bystander who was in the area.
Prosecutor Philippe Dulieu announced at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that “the event is classed as a terrorist incident.”
CNN affiliate RTBF reported that the man was serving time in prison for drug-related crimes but said that “he may have been radicalized while in jail.”