Daesh claims responsibility for Brussels knife attack

The knife attack on patrolling soldiers in Brussels came just hours before a sword-wielding assailant wounded police outside London's Buckingham Palace.

TRT World and Agencies

Daesh claimed responsibility for a knife attack on soldiers in the Belgian capital of Brussels on Friday, the group’s Amaq news agency said on Saturday.

Belgian soldiers shot dead the man in the centre of Brussels on Friday evening after he came at them with a knife shouting Allahu Akbar (God is great).

“The executor of the stabbing operation in Brussels is a soldier of the Islamic State [Daesh] and carried out the operation in response to calls for attacks against coalition states,” Amaq said, referring to a US-led coalition fighting the group.

The assailant was a Belgian national of Somali origin who was born in 1987, authorities confirmed. 

He arrived in the country in 2004 and was granted Belgian nationality in 2015. 

Although not known for any terror-related activities, he had an assault and battery charge on his record from February, according the prosecutors. 

The soldiers were not seriously hurt in the attack; one had a facial wound and the other’s hand was wounded.

Buckingham Palace attack

Just hours after the Brussels attack, a man armed with knife attacked police officers outside Queen Elizabeth II's Buckingham Palace residence in London, leaving three police officers injured.

The attacker has been arrested under the Terrorism Act.

The incidents come with Britain and much of Europe on high alert following a string of major attacks over the past two years -- most of which have been claimed by Daesh.

Last week, Spain was hit by twin vehicle attacks which left 15 dead, and two people were killed in a stabbing spree in Finland.

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