Officials say Liège attacker had criminal record

(AP/CS/ADW) A man armed with grenades and an assault rifle attacked holiday shoppers on Tuesday at a central square in the Belgian city of Liège, leaving four people dead and wounding 75, officials said.

Belgian officials identified him as Norodine Amrani, 33, a Liège resident who they said had done jail time for offences involving guns, drugs and sexual abuse. He was among the dead, but Liège Prosecutor Danielle Reynders told reporters it was unclear if he committed suicide or died by accident. He did not die at the hands of police, she said.

Belgian officials have confirmed the deaths of three other individuals, a 15-year-old boy, a 17-year-girl and a 75-year-old woman.

La Libre Belgique newspaper reported that a two-year-old girl was fighting for her life.

Reynders said Amrani had been summoned for police questioning on Tuesday but the reason for the questioning was not clear.

Officials said Amrani left his home in Liège with a backpack, armed with hand grenades, a revolver and an FAL assault rifle. He walked alone to the central square. From a platform, he lobbed three hand grenades toward a bus shelter, then he opened fire. He still had a number of grenades with him, Reynders said.

Belgian officials said the attack was not a terrorist act.

In the meantime, Belgian's royal couple is expected to arrive in Liège on Tuesday.

Throughout the day several and conflicting reports emerged from the chaotic scene. Footage from the scene showed people, including a large group of children, fleeing down the streets of the city centre — some still carrying shopping bags. Ambulances and police vehicles descended on the area.

Another broadcaster, Radio Television Belge Francophone, said all buses had been asked to leave the city centre and all shops in the area were closed, some with many customers stranded inside.

News reports said police helicopters are flying over the city and a medical post has been set up in the courtyard of the palace of the Prince Bishops court house located on the site.

VRT Radio spoke with Herve Taveirne from the courthouse into which he had fled to escape the gunfire.

"We were in the courthouse building and were just leaving when we saw someone toss a grenade," Taveirne said. "I grabbed a little boy ... and took him back into the courthouse. Outside the building I heard shooting ... Our lives were in danger. This man was shooting in any direction. We ran for our lives at that point."

The surrounding areas were evacuated during the afternoon and residents were advised to stay at home, as police were unsure how many attackers were involved and whether some of them remained at large.

Emergency services from as far afield as the Netherlands were called onto the scene. The victims were transported to several hospitals in the city. At least ten people are said to be critically injured with several undergoing emergency surgeries.

Police reported around 3pm that the situation had been brought under control.

Place Saint-Lambert is a busy crossroads. Every day 1,800 buses serve the square, which leads to downtown shopping streets. The Place Saint-Lambert and the nearby Place du Marche host Liège's annual Christmas market, which consists of 200 retail cabins and attracts some 1.5 million visitors a year.