A 15-year-old boy was stabbed at the railway station in the coastal municipality of Blankenberge on Tuesday. He was taken to hospital with multiple knife wounds, the West Flanders Public Prosecutor's Office announced.
On Tuesday evening around 21:45, the boy was attacked in the back for no apparent reason and received knife wounds in several places. Shortly after the incident, police arrived at the scene and searched the old (empty) library next to the station, where the perpetrator, a 27-year-old man, was hiding.
After about an hour of searching, police were able to arrest the suspect. He first attacked the police, leading the officers to fire a shot into the suspect's arm. He was injured as well, but his life is not in danger, Chief of Police Hans Quaghebeur told VRT.
The circumstances surrounding the stabbing are not yet clear. There is a possibility that the perpetrator and victim did not know each other, meaning the boy could have been a random victim, Belga News Agency reports.
On Wednesday morning, both the victim and the perpetrator were able to leave the hospital. The suspect is being questioned by police.
