2011 Liège attack

2011 Liège attack
The bus shelter on Saint-Lambert Square, Liège. The killer was standing and killed himself on the platform on the right.
Liège 2011 Liège attack (Belgium) Location of the attack
Location	Liège, Wallonia, Belgium
Coordinates	50.645°N 5.573°E / 50.645; 5.573
Date	Tuesday, 13 December 2011 12:33 (CET) (UTC+01:00)
Target	Civilians
Attack type	Murder–suicide
Weapons	FN FAL, Grenades
Deaths	6 (incl. the perpetrator)
Injured	125

On 13 December 2011, a murder–suicide attack took place in the city of Liège in the Wallonia region of Belgium.

The attacker, 33-year-old Nordine Amrani, threw grenades and fired an FN FAL rifle at civilians on Saint-Lambert Square. The attack killed 5 and left 125 others injured; seven of whom suffered serious injuries. Earlier that day, the attacker had also murdered a woman in his house.

Attack

The attack took place on 13 December 2011 at 12:33 local time (11:33 UTC) in Saint-Lambert Square, home to the town's courthouse. It was a busy day with many shoppers in the nearby Christmas market.

Witnesses reported four explosions and gunfire. At first, it was believed that there were two or more assailants, who threw stun grenades into the courthouse while another hurled them at a bus shelter. The gunman then fired shots from the rooftop of a bakery shop, located across the square. Police were on the scene quickly and sealed off the square.

Amrani killed three people in the attack and wounded 125 others, seven seriously. After that, Amrani committed suicide by shooting himself with a revolver. Two of the dead were teenage boys aged 15 and 17 and named Mehdi Belhadj and Pierre Gérouville. A 17-month-old boy, Gabriël Leblond, died later in a hospital. A 20-year-old man was left in a critical state. A 75-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries two days after the attack.

Perpetrator

Nordine Amrani was born in Ixelles/Elsene in Brussels, Belgium on 15 November 1978. He was a French-speaking Belgian of Moroccan origin and a welder by trade.

He grew up near Brussels, and was living with his fiancée, a care home nurse. Orphaned early, he was raised in foster homes.

Amrani had been released from prison in October 2010. He had been convicted to a 58-month (4 years, 10 months) sentence he received from a Liège court in 2008. The conviction was for possession of thousands of weapons parts, dozens of weapons, including a rocket launcher, assault and sniper rifles, as well as 2,800 cannabis plants, in the context of a criminal conspiracy (association de malfaiteurs). He also had convictions for handling stolen goods and sex offending. He had no known links to terrorism. On the day of the attack, Amrani had been summoned for an interview with the police to answer questions about a sexual abuse case.

Before the attack, Amrani transferred money from his account to that of his girlfriend. On the morning of the attack, Amrani killed a 45-year-old woman in his apartment. The victim was working as a cleaner for Amrani's neighbour. He possibly lured her into his flat under the pretext of offering her work. After the murder, he hid her body in his shed, then left his flat for the city centre, equipped with a backpack containing the weapons.

Reaction

Domestic

• Recently appointed Prime Minister of Belgium Elio di Rupo visited the location of the attack later in the day and described the attack as "horrible". He added, "The whole country shares the pain of the families affected. We share the shock of the population."
• Willy Demeyer, the mayor of Liège, condemned the attack and said the attack had "sown sorrow in the heart of the city".

International

• Australia: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard offered condolences, stating: "On behalf of the Australian government and people, I extend the nation's deepest sympathies to the citizens of Liege for the shocking attack which took place overnight. Belgium is a good friend and close partner of Australia. Our thoughts are with the families of those who have lost loved ones and we wish those who have been injured a full and speedy recovery."
• Estonia: President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves composed a letter to the King of the Belgians stating: "The peace of Christmas time has been disquieted by the grief and mourning that struck us after the tragic news. Our thoughts are with the next of kin of the victims and we wish a speedy recovery for the wounded. The incomprehensible evil that has struck us during the Christmas season forces us to search for reasons. However, this will not mean that we will close our societies to others as we all do now: openness and democracy are always stronger than anger and evil."
• Luxembourg: The Luxembourger government expressed condolences.
• Netherlands: Three Dutch ambulances were sent to Liege.
• United Kingdom: British Prime Minister David Cameron telephoned the Belgian Prime Minister, expressing condolences over the "appalling attacks."

References

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