An official terrorism investigation has been opened into a machete attack that wounded two Belgian policewomen in the Belgian city of Charleroi, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said on Sunday. The attack has reportedly been claimed by the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group. “We have been informed by federal prosecutors that an investigation has started for attempted terrorist murder,” Michel told reporters, AFP reported. On Sunday, the IS claimed the attack, saying the assailant was one of their “soldiers”. Michel spoke with reporters following an emergency meeting with officials from Belgium’s security services. “We must keep a cool head,” Michel said. “We must avoid panic, of course—not give in to terror. That’s the trap that has been set for us.” Belgian prosecutors identified the attacker as a 33-year-old Algerian national who had a criminal history and was known to police, but not for terrorism. He had been living in Belgium since 2012. “There are indications that the attack may have been inspired by a terrorist motive,” said prosecutors in a statement.
