Belgian gunman kills 4, injures 122 in shooting spree before killing self

Nordine Armani

A lone gunman brought carnage to the Belgian city of Liege, Belgium yesterday Tuesday 13th 2011, spraying bullets at Christmas shoppers and hurling a grenade at people waiting for a bus, killing four and injuring 122 people before shooting himself dead. A number of grenades were found on his dead body.

33year old Nordine Amrani, who had spent time in jail for offences involving guns and drugs, had left his Liège home with a backpack, armed with hand grenades, a revolver and an FAL assault rifle.

 

Justice officials said Amrani had been summoned to answer police questions that morning on an undisclosed matter, but never turned up.

 

 

Armani walked alone to a busy city centre square, then got onto a platform that gave him an ideal view of the area below, which was decorated with a huge Christmas tree and crowded with shoppers.
From there, he lobbed three hand grenades towards a bus shelter that serves 1,800 buses a day. The explosions sent shards of glass from the shelter across a wide area. He then opened fire upon the crowd.

As soon as the shooting began, hundreds fled the square as well as a nearby Christmas market. Video from the scene showed the crowds, including a large group of children, surging through the city centre to seek cover, some still carrying shopping bags.

It remains unclear what motivated the attack. - Guardian UK