The suspect in the knife attack on a train earlier this week, which resulted in the victim being hospitalised, had a record of suffering from psychiatric problems, the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office reported on Wednesday.
A person was stabbed on board an SNCB train bound for Eupen which, at the time of the incident on Monday afternoon, was travelling between Brussels-Central and Brussels-North stations. The victim was stabbed multiple times, Yasmina Vanoverschelde, a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office, confirmed.
"The victim was hurt in the neck and on his hand and was administered first aid by a traveller at the scene, who also turned out to be a doctor," she noted. "He was taken to hospital by the emergency services with life-threatening injuries." His life is now no longer at risk but he will have to remain in hospital and cannot work for 14 days.
The suspect, a 27-year-old man, was immediately arrested by local police when the train pulled into the Brussels-North station, with investigators confiscating a pocket knife. The Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office then requested an investigating judge, who decided to place the suspect under an arrest warrant for attempted manslaughter.
Vanoverschelde added that the suspect had a history of mental health problems. Meanwhile, the investigation continues and is currently being conducted by the federal police's railway police.
