A 76-year-old man was killed in a brutal knife attack aboard a De Lijn bus in Antwerp, Belgium, on Monday afternoon. The suspect, a 38-year-old man whose identity has not yet been released, is believed to have targeted the victim at random.
Two other people were injured in the attack, including a 63-year-old passenger who attempted to intervene and the bus driver, who was left in a state of shock.
The stabbing occurred at around 2:30 p.m. on line 36 near Ernest Claes Street. According to eyewitnesses, the attacker suddenly brandished a knife and slit the victim’s throat in front of the other passengers. When another man tried to stop him, he was stabbed in the leg. The bus driver was also hurt during the chaos and was later taken to the hospital along with the injured passenger. Neither of their injuries is considered life-threatening.
Witnesses reported seeing the suspect exit the bus holding a knife before surrendering to police, who arrived swiftly. In mobile phone footage taken by a passerby, someone can be heard shouting, “He has a knife!” as officers approach. The man dropped the weapon and lay down on the pavement to be arrested.
At least one person has been killed after a knifeman attacked passengers on a bus in Antwerp this afternoon.
Here, the perpetrator is arrested. pic.twitter.com/27pTnE2BRh
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One witness, an employee of a housing company nearby, said he initially thought the bus had broken down until he heard the driver screaming for help. “Local residents and people from the service center immediately came to see what was going on,” he said, as reported by De Standaard.
Authorities say there is no evidence at this stage to suggest the attack was terror-related. “For the moment, everything indicates that he targeted the victims at random,” a spokesperson for the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office confirmed. A full investigation is now underway.
The ABVV trade union has strongly condemned the incident, pointing out that line 36 has long had a reputation for violence and disorder. “It is a low point in a whole series of incidents. Buses have already been shot at and pelted with stones, and benches in a bus have been set on fire,” said union official Tom Peeters, as cited by VRT. He criticized local authorities for failing to act, adding, “The city council knows about this, but does nothing.”
“Today’s fatal assault is the sad culmination of a spiral of violence that has been ignored for far too long,” the unions added.
Peeters called for immediate security upgrades, including permanent security staff on problematic lines and better protection for drivers. “Closed board cabins can also help. They are being installed, but that has to be accelerated,” he said. The union also wants dispatchers to have live access to bus camera footage and audio feeds.
In a joint statement, De Lijn and the main transport unions (ACOD Tram-Bus-Metro, ACV, and ACLVB) expressed condolences and condemned the attack as an “extreme act of aggression.” They pledged to support the driver and all those affected. “Our thoughts go out to the victims and their loved ones, to the driver, and to everyone else involved,” the statement said. “We also call on the rest of society to stand up with us against any unacceptable form of aggression.”
The suspect remains in custody.
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