ISIS claims responsibility for Liege shooting rampage and calls gunman who killed four a "soldier of the caliphate"
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ISIS has claimed responsibility for a shooting rampage in the Belgian city of Liege that left two police officers and a bystander dead.
The terror group today said the gunman - who had allegedly killed another person the night before - was a "soldier of caliphate".
It provided no evidence for the claim about Benjamin Herman, who shouted "Allahu Akbar" as he carried out Tuesday's massacre.
Herman, 31, attacked two female police officers from behind with a knife, stabbing them repeatedly, during the horrific attack.
(Image: REUTERS)
(Image: Twitter)
(Image: Handout)
He then stole their handguns and shot them as they lay on the ground.
His third victim was a 22-year old man, who was a passenger in a car. He fired several shots at him while crossing the road, killing him.
He then took a cleaning woman hostage at a nearby school.
The hostage was released without harm.
Herman was fatally shot by cops after carrying out the massacre.
According to prosecutors, he cried out "Allahu akbar" - which means "God is great" in Arabic - several times during the attack.
(Image: REUTERS)
(Image: REUTERS)
(Image: REUTERS)
Belgium's Interior minister Jan Jambon later confirmed Herman "also committed a murder the night before" the cop killings.
His victim was a former inmate who did jail time with him.
According to RTL , the former Lantin prison detainee was found dead on Tuesday morning after being killed with a blunt object.
One police officer who died in the subsequent massacre was named locally as Soraya Belkacemi - the mother of 13-year-old twins.
The other was identified locally as Lucile Garcia.
(Image: Facebook)
(Image: REUTERS)
Chilling images posted online show the Herman wielding two handguns after killing his victims.
Anti-terrorist officers killed the Belgian gunman in a shootout, bringing an end to the rampage.
He launched the attack just one day after he was released from prison on day parole, with local reports claiming he was "radicalised" behind bars.
Police chief Christian Beaupere said "the goal of the attacker was to target the police" and Belgian authorities said the incident is being treated as terrorism.
(Image: Twitter)
(Image: REUTERS)
Two other police officers were seriously wounded during the incident.
Mr Jambon praised the "fighting spirit" of the injured police officers when he visited them in hospital.
In a tweet on Tuesday, he added: "There are many questions that need to be solved after today.
"But we are not going to do that lightly.
"There were three deaths, including two police officers. We will seriously investigate this, to the bone, but in serenity."
He had tweeted earlier: "Act of violence with a high price for the police of Liege.
(Image: biboule69/Twitter)
(Image: biboule69/Twitter)
"All my support for the body and the families of the victims."
Herman had been serving time for drug offences and was classified as "unstable", according to local reports.
Local media reported that investigators were looking into whether he converted to Islam and was radicalised in jail.
One witness told of the chilling moment he came face-to-face with the shooter after hearing "popping" noises in the street.
The witness told Sudpresse: "I saw a man dressed in black with a backpack and two pistols in his hands. He pulled a [passenger] out of a car.
"Then the shooter walked towards the witness, but he turned and shot again.
(Image: Google Street View)
"I saw a person fall to the ground. I do not know if she did that to take shelter or because she was [shot]. I have never seen anything like it. It was madness."
In the aftermath, Belgium's royal family said in a statement: "Our thoughts are with the victims of this horrible act."
Belgium's national threat level remained at level two out of four - indicating an average risk of a terror attack - after Tuesday's deadly shooting.
It has been the target of multiple terror attacks in recent years, leading to a massive increase in security across the country.