Belgium<\/a> on Thursday evening, police said.<\/p>\nTwo of the victims were in a critical condition in hospital following the incident in the port city of Antwerp near the Operaplein (Opera Square), police spokesperson Wouter Bruyns said.<\/p>\n
Bruyns said police were able to apprehend the two suspects who, based on initial findings, had mingled with the demonstrators.<\/p>\n
Four of the people who were stabbed were found in the square, with two others nearby in the vicinity of Rooseveltplaats and Sint-Elisabethstraat, local reports suggested.<\/p>\n
Police said the incident was being investigated as a case of attempted murder, \u201cnot terrorism\u201d, and that officers were looking at CCTV footage to ensure no other suspects had evaded arrest.<\/p>\n
The demonstration outside the Opera House, attended by about 50 people, was initially peaceful, according to the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws.<\/p>\n
Flags of the Kurdistan Workers\u2019 party (PKK) and national flags were waved during the protest in support of Kurds in northern Syria, where Kurdish-led forces have been fighting a government advance.<\/p>\n
However, shortly after the demonstration ended at around 720 pm local time, the situation escalated.<\/p>\n
Orhan Kilic, a spokesperson for Navbel, a group representing the Kurdish diaspora in Belgium, said families, women, young people and children attended the protest.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cJust as the protest was disbanding, the Kurdish demonstrators were attacked by a group of men.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese men had sneaked into the demonstration and suddenly pulled out knives and began stabbing people indiscriminately.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is clear that this attack is not an isolated instance of senseless violence, but a motivated attack on a community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Forensic officers were seen at the square, and police have urged people to stay away from the area.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#injured #knife #attack #Kurdish #demonstration #Antwerp #Belgium<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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