Brussels, March 16: Belgian and French police have launched a vast manhunt for more possible suspects after a Kalashnikov-wielding assailant was killed and four officers were wounded on Tuesday during an anti-terror operation in Brussels linked to the November 13 Paris attacks.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said operations were continuing after the gun battle in the southern Brussels suburb of Forest, and that the national security council would meet on Wednesday.
Armed police came under fire as they carried out a daylight search on a property in the quiet suburb, sparking a series of gun battles that left children trapped in nearby schools.
A French policewoman was among three officers wounded in the initial attack, while a fourth was hurt in an exchange of fire.
Officials thanked residents for their “composure” as bursts of gunfire erupted in the streets and dozens of heavily-armed police with balaclavas and sub-machineguns sealed off the area.
The dead person had not been identified but prosecutors said it was not Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in the Paris massacre claimed by the Islamic State jihadi group, which killed 130 people and left 350 wounded.
One suspect armed with a Kalashnikov-type assault rifle was killed in an assault by police aboutthree hours later.
