Police officer killed, 2 others injured in house raid in Belgium

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) – A police officer was killed and two others were injured when a suspected criminal opened fire on a raiding team in the Lodelinsart neighborhood of western Belgium, local media reported on Monday.

The suspected criminal was also critically injured and died at a local hospital after being shifted there.

The incident took place when officers from the Directorate of Special Units (DSU) conducted a raid to search a house in Lodelinsart, a borough of the southern city of Charleroi, as part of an investigation into drug, weapons, and vehicle trafficking, public broadcaster VRT reported.

The suspect who opened fire behind a closed door died in the hospital after being shot by police, the broadcaster said, citing the Charleroi Public Prosecutor's Office.

"Today is a black day for the police. With surprise we heard about the death of our colleague this morning," said Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden.

The police have cordoned off the scene, and the prosecutor's office is heading the investigation into the incident, the report added.