Mass stabbing in Antwerp the place six are wounded together with two now preventing for all times as Kurdish protest is attacked
Six people have been injured, two of them critically, in a mass stabbing at a Kurdish protest in the Belgian city of Antwerp.
The attack unfolded near the busy square of Operaplein at around 7.20pm on Thursday evening.
Four people have been arrested in connection with the stabbing but police said they are yet to uncover a motive.
Police spokesman Wouter Bruyns added that officers were combing through CCTV footage to ensure no other suspects had evaded arrest.
The stabbings occurred during a demonstration by the local Kurdish community, where Kurdish and PKK flags were being waved.
It is understood that around 300 people, including families with young children, were present at the protest.
The group had gathered to show support for the Kurds in northern Syria, who have been fighting a government advance.
According to initial findings, the suspects mingled with the demonstrators before attacking them.
Six people have been injured, two of them critically, in a mass stabbing at a Kurdish protest in the Belgian city of Antwerp (picture from the scene)
Four people have been arrested in connection with the stabbing but police said they are yet to uncover a motive (picture from the scene)
Orhan Kilic, a spokesperson for Navbel, a group representing the Kurdish diaspora in Belgium, said: ‘Just as the protest was disbanding, the Kurdish demonstrators were attacked by a group of men.
‘These men had sneaked into the demonstration and suddenly pulled out knives and began stabbing people indiscriminately.
‘It is clear that this attack is not an isolated instance of senseless violence, but a motivated attack on a community.’
Police said the incident was being investigated as a case of attempted murder, ‘not terrorism’.
Witnessed described scenes of panic as the horror unfolded.
One person said according to The Sun: ‘People were running in every direction; it was pure chaos.’
Another added: ‘I saw the commotion from by window, but it was still scary.
‘I saw one of the victims lying on the ground, receiving help from the paramedics. He could only move his arm weakly.’
More than 134,000 people have been displaced in northeast Syria, according to the United Nations, after clashes and a fragile ceasefire deal between government troops and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Under military and political pressure from Damascus, which is seeking to extend its control across the country, the SDF has relinquished swathes of territory in recent days, withdrawing to parts of Hasakeh province, the Kurds’ stronghold in the northeast.
