A van has “dark” on the terrace of a café in the center of Brussels, Friday, August 26, causing six minor injuries before fleeing, local police said. “The investigations led to the identification of a suspect who was arrested this afternoon by the police in Antwerp”said the spokesperson for the Brussels public prosecutor’s office, Willemien Baert, during a press conference, without giving further details on the profile of the person arrested.
“The investigation is still ongoing to clarify the exact circumstances of the facts. At this stage, the various leads are still open, the motives of the suspect are not yet known”
Willemien Baert, spokesperson for the Brussels public prosecutor’s officeat a press conference
Referring to the possibility of a terrorist act, as Brussels has been the scene of in the past, the spokesperson underlined that she was not “not sure yet if it was an attack, it is possible that it was just an accident”.
“Shortly before 1 p.m., a van drove into a terrace on rue Saint-Michel”in the historic center of the city, very busy, “and the driver fled in his vehicle” after the collision, described a spokeswoman for the Brussels-Capital police. “A van entered via rue Saint-Michel, turned around in this same street and rushed towards the terrace of an establishment”for his part explained to the press Philippe Close, mayor of Brussels. There was “un mix of tourists, city employees, locals and Belgians frequenting the capital”he detailed.
“The emergency services were very quickly on the scene, there were six minor injuries who were treated on the spot”while the van was found shortly after, added the police spokesperson. The police did not pronounced, at this stage, on the deliberate nature or not of the collision and the possible motivations of the driver.