Manama: Bahrain’s foreign ministry on Tuesday said that one of its diplomats who was attacked in the Belgian capital of Brussels was “in a stable condition.”
The Bahraini ministry said in a statement that its embassy in Belgium was “in close contact and coordination with relevant authorities in the Kingdom of Belgium to ensure the protection of diplomats’ rights and safety”.
“The ministry urges Bahraini citizens to remain committed to safety instructions and to take the necessary precautions while abroad,” the statement posted on the ministry’s website added.
The attack occurred on Monday around 4.30pm when a woman, believed to be from an Asian country, reportedly had an argument with passengers on a bus in the Uccle area and stabbed them. Two passengers were injured. The woman, 52, then got off the bus, headed towards a commercial centre and stabbed a third person. The three attack victims were taken to hospital, Belgian media reported.
According to Belgian news site 7sur7, an amateur video relayed by VTM, a local TV station, showed the woman sitting on a bench inside the centre while policemen were attempting to calm her down.
“Take your hand out of your pocket,” a policeman was heard telling her, referring to the knife she used to stab her three victims.
However, the woman refused to comply with the order and tried to flee the scene, heading outside the centre.
The policemen in their attempt to neutralise her, fired, wounding her. The aggressor was taken to hospital for treatment, the news site reported.
The police said that they had the situation under control and that they were forced to wound the aggressor after she refused to obey their orders.
The reasons for the multiple attacks was not known, but the police have reportedly ruled out it was motivated by terrorism.
