Special forces officer killed in Charleroi shootout
A house search in Lodelinsart (Charleroi) escalated on Monday morning, resulting in the death of one police officer. The perpetrator died later in the day.
A 36-year-old special forces agent, part of the Directorate of Special Units (DSU), was killed during a house search that became a shoot-out on Rue de l'Étang in Lodelinsart, Charleroi, on Monday morning.
The DSU team broke into the house at around 06:30, they immediately identified themselves as police officers. The team first found a woman, but almost immediately after they discovered a person hidden behind a door, who was armed and shot at the agents.
The reinforcement groups entered the house round the back and discovered that the suspect had been injured. He was taken to hospital and has since died.
The house search was ordered by an investigating judge of the Charleroi Public Prosecutor's office as part of a wider investigation into a criminal organisation dealing in arms, drugs and stolen vehicles.
Another officer (aged 33) is reportedly fighting for his life. A third officer (34) also sustained light injuries. "This is a dark day for the Federal Police but specifically for the Special Units teams," said Eric Snoeck Commissioner-General ad interim of the Federal Police.