Mumbai-style gun and grenade attack at Belgian bus-stop

[Lonemagpie]

WTF?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16161746

Definitely not a single attacker- one's dead but gunfire is continuing. So we're talking either outrageous GTA-style mafia violence, or Islamic fundies at it again.

 

[Admiral Shran]

Damn, grenades and gunfire?!

 

[Lonemagpie]

ETA - Now the authorities are saying it *was* a single attacker. Maybe. But they're not sure, cos if there were others, they've buggered off... Which would bring back the possibility of it being a lone nut, like in Oslo earlier in the year.

There's an updated thing here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/bl...ades-thrown-at-bus-stop-in-liege-live-updates

 

[JoeZhang]

Talking to a friend on the ground, One attacker dead (suicide), the second arrested and the third is unaccounted for.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Crazy.

The Belgian news agency Belga quotes police sources saying two dead and up to 15 injured. There are said to have been three assailants lobbing grenades and firing from a Kalashnikov.

It sounds like a gangland-style hit, but even for that total overkill. Hard to imagine any political motives for such a thing though.

 

[ares93]

One attacker dead (suicide),

Figures... Fucking coward. Committing despicable acts of violence, but never explaining why and not taking responsibility.

Now if they were attacking police, military and infrastructure, that would be different. But you never, ever, involve civvies.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Crazy.

The Belgian news agency Belga quotes police sources saying two dead and up to 15 injured. There are said to have been three assailants lobbing grenades and firing from a Kalashnikov.

It sounds like a gangland-style hit, but even for that total overkill. Hard to imagine any political motives for such a thing though.

Nah, that makes it muslim fundies - apparently there have been threats since Belgium introduced a burqa ban.
Is it just me or does anyone else almost wish it was a mafia spree or biker gangs just for variety from the more likely islamic extremists?

 

[Roger Wilco]

Attacking a random busstop? Maybe, who knows. I wouldn't jump to conclusions before there's any real information though.

 

[ares93]

LMP: Why do everyone jump at conclusions and blame the muslims? Do you know for a fact that they were muslims?

The shooters are not yet identified. And their equipment doesn't prove anything. AK have flooded the black market, even here in Sweden. How do you know that they weren't outraged Swedish farmers?

 

[Lonemagpie]

LMP: Why do everyone jump at conclusions and blame the muslims? Do you know for a fact that they were muslims?

The shooters are not yet identified. And their equipment doesn't prove anything. AK have flooded the black market, even here in Sweden. How do you know that they weren't outraged Swedish farmers?

Because this was Belgium, not Sweden?

Or, more seriously, I've said it's "more likely" Islamic terrorism because it matches the Mumbai MO (gun and grenade attack on transport target) and follows known threats to Belgium because of the country's recent ban on burqas. And because, statistically, most of this kind of violence in Europe of the past decade has been.

Balance of probabilities, I'm afraid. 10-15 years ago the obvious conclusion would have been biker gangs, 20 years ago it'd have been the IRA... Today it's much more likely radicalised Muslims.

 

[JoeZhang]

Remember how everyone leaped to the "it's the Muslims!" conclusion in Norway?

 

[Lonemagpie]

In a slightly Trekish element, the tally of injured is 47...

(one of whom is two years old)

 

[Lonemagpie]

Remember how everyone leaped to the "it's the Muslims!" conclusion in Norway?

oddly enough, I jumped to biker gangs for there... Cos the event most reminded me of 1996 Oslo biker war.

One must take context into account...

 

[JoeZhang]

Remember how everyone leaped to the "it's the Muslims!" conclusion in Norway?

oddly enough, I jumped to biker gangs for there... Cos the event most reminded me of 1996 Oslo biker war.

One must take context into account...

Well I lived in Belgium, so I'm fairly aware of politics there - it is *likely* that this is maybe radical muslims but that's not the same as it is.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Remember how everyone leaped to the "it's the Muslims!" conclusion in Norway?

oddly enough, I jumped to biker gangs for there... Cos the event most reminded me of 1996 Oslo biker war.

One must take context into account...

Well I lived in Belgium, so I'm fairly aware of politics there - it is *likely* that this is maybe radical muslims but that's not the same as it is.

I never said *is* - I said "more likely"

As it turns out, though, suggestions are coming out that it's been a diversionary attack to help facilitate a jailbreak from the Palais de Justice...

So the mafia and their ilk are back in the blame-game along with terrorists...

 

[Roger Wilco]

Might have been a prison escape according to the Guardian now.

 

[Lonemagpie]

I wonder how long, if it's a jailbreak thing, before GTA gets blamed?

ETA - And back to being a single attacker for Liege again, according to The Guardian, a bloke with a history of drugs offences - which means terrorists and gangsters may all be off the hook (though you'd think drug dealing might be part of gangsterism anyway). Just you watch, by tomorrow, it'll all be the fault of videogames...