Belgium

Three killed at crèche in frenzied knife attack

Article published on the 2009-01-23 Latest update 2009-01-23 14:28 TU

Child-care centre in Dendermonde, Belgium.
(Photo: AFP)

Three people have been killed at a Belgian crèche after a knife attack on Friday near Brussels.

One adult and two children were killed in the attack at a day-care centre in the small town of Dendermonde around 0900 UT.

The man, said to be around 30 years old, gained entry after ringing the doorbell, before running upstairs and attacking children.

Around 18 kids were attending the crèche at the time, and at least 11 were wounded according to local authorities.

The suspect managed to flee on a bicycle, but was later captured by police a few kilometres away.

Local media reported that he may have been a patient at a psychiatric institute in the area, and described him as having his face painted white and black.

Dendermonde, which is 20 kilometres west of Brussels, is a quiet town, located in the Flemish province of East Flanders, and has a population of just over 43,000.

It is thought that the suspect announced his intentions in a video on Youtube, but he was not known to the crèche’s staff.