Gunman also dead

Police officer killed during house search in Belgium

The crime scene in Lodelinsart near Charleroi(Bild: APA/AFP/BELGA/VIRGINIE LEFOUR)

A police officer was killed during a house search near the Belgian city of Charleroi on Monday. The officer from a special unit was hit by gunfire during the operation and died, reported the Belga news agency. A man who had barricaded himself in the house is also dead.

According to reports from Belga, the man had barricaded himself in the house in the town of Lodelinsart, south of Brussels. The search of the house degenerated into a shoot-out. The suspect fired at several police officers.

Second police officer in critical condition
A second police officer is in a critical condition in hospital. Another was injured but is not in mortal danger. The suspect was also initially taken to hospital in a critical condition, where he died shortly afterwards. Information on the background to the house search is not yet available.

Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo expressed his condolences to the family of the victim. "The work of our law enforcement forces in the service of the population deserves respect. Targeting them is despicable and will never go unpunished", he wrote on X.