The lone gunman who went on a killing spree in Liege town centre has said to have acted completely out of character.
The gunman, Nordine Amrani, had a long criminal record for drug dealing and possession of stolen guns and was also well-known to police.
He was apparently summoned to speak with police today, the day of the incident, the 13th of December but it is as yet unclear wether Amrani did speak with the police.
“At no moment in any of the judicial proceedings against him was there a sign of a disturbance,” she told a news conference.
It is as yet unclear how exactly Amrani died.
The autopsy will be key in understanding what happened, one call only hope that the autopsy is held quickly and includes a blood test to determine if Amrani was under the influence of any drugs at the time of the rampage.
From France24
Deadly grenade attack strikes Belgian city of LiègeBy Catherine VIETTE (video)
AFP – Nordine Amrani, the lone gunman who died after killing three people and injuring scores in an attack in a crowded Belgian square Tuesday, had a long criminal record but not for violent crime.
The 33-year-old Amrani was well-known to the police before he went on the rampage in the eastern Belgian city of Liege, opening fire on a square packed with children and Christmas shoppers, killing three people and wounding another 75.
He had previously been convicted for drug dealing and illegal arms possession, as well as for holding stolen goods and other crimes, said Daniele Reynders, the public prosecutor for Liege.
In September 2008 he was thrown behind bars for 58 months when police uncovered a weapons arsenal in his home.
They found 10 firearms and 9,500 gun parts along with 2,800 cannabis plants, but a prison official said Amrani was granted early release last year.
A weapons aficionado, he was said to be able to dismantle, repair and put together all sorts of weapons but was never linked to any terrorist act or network.
Reynders said there had never been the slightest hint he was unhinged enough to mount the kind of deadly attack he launched in Liege.
“At no moment in any of the judicial proceedings against him was there a sign of a disturbance,” she told a news conference.
Amrani had been summoned by police on Tuesday morning but never showed up.
Instead he left his Liege home in the morning with his backpack and arms, a light automatic rifle, a hand-gun and several grenades.
He headed for the city’s central Saint-Lambert square, crammed with children and Christmas shoppers, and set up his gear on the roof of a popular bakery chain, Le Point Chaud.
With a bird’s-eye view of the square, he hurled three grenades into the crowd, the prosecutor said, before opening fire.
How exactly he died was not immediately clear, with some witnesses claiming he turned his revolver on himself while others said one of his grenades appeared to explode prematurely.
“The inquiry will determine whether he acted deliberately or whether the equipment he was carrying caused his death,” Reynders said.
His van was found on the square.
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