Belgium police stormed an apartment complex early Monday, putting to end a reported hostage situation involving a gunman and one victim who was safely rescued.
Three men have been detained from the incident, which took place in the western city of Ghent, a spokeswoman for state prosecutors said, Reuters reported.
“Three men have been taken away, though there were no weapons found,” the spokeswoman said. “The earlier reports were of four men with Kalashnikovs. … It’s not entirely clear whether someone was in fact taken hostage.”
Belgian media reported the the neighborhood was a known drug dealing hot spot.
The incident occurred at the same time Australian police were dealing with a multi-hostage situation at a downtown cafe in Sydney. Witnesses said the gunman had displayed Islamist flags inside the cafe, leading many to speculate that the situation was terrorist-tied.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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