The outgoing Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo was targeted by a man “wielding a knife” outside his home this morning, according to Belga News Agency.
The incident, in which the perpetrator was later arrested, is one of many occurrences in recent months in which global leaders have become the targets of violent attacks.
Newsweek reached out to De Croo for comment via email and the Brussels police for comment via a form on their website.
Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Associated Press
Why It Matters
The attempted attack on De Croo follows a rise in assassination attempts on political leaders around the world and could indicate a cultural shift towards violence due to widespread sociopolitical unrest in countries globally.
What To Know
The man with the knife reportedly tried to enter De Croo’s official residence before he was arrested by Brussels police. According to reports, police said the man was arrested at around 10 a.m. this morning and that he “was allegedly armed with a knife and had made threats towards the military personnel present.” Brussels police said they “overpowered the man while waiting for our police zone, which is responsible for further investigation. The man’s motives are currently unclear.”
A Belgian politician and businessman, De Croo is a member of the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats party and became prime minister in 2020. He resigned from his position after his party was defeated in the general election in July. De Croo is to remain the prime minister until a new coalition of seven parties can be formed, which will likely be centered around the right-wing New Flemish Alliance.
De Croo is not the only politician to have been targeted recently. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, 60, was airlifted to hospital after he was shot in May. A suspect, Juraj Cintula, a writer and poet, was charged with attempted murder, later saying that he carried out the attack because he disagreed with Fico’s policies.
Ryuji Kimura, 24, was also charged with attempted murder when he hurled a homemade pipe bomb at Japan’s prime minister Fumio Kishida last April. Kishida escaped unharmed, but two others were injured.
As tensions have continued to escalate in the Middle East, a drone attack was launched toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Caesarea home in October 2024, though the leader was not in the vicinity at the time and there were no casualties.
Last year, president elect Donald Trump survived two assassination attempts, a shooting in Pennsylvania and an apparent assassination attempt in Florida.
What People Are Saying
Through Barend Leyts, the director of communications for the outgoing prime minister, De Croo said that he was “shocked by the incident.”
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, De Croo wrote: “I would like to sincerely thank the military police officers who acted so efficiently this morning. Relieved that no one was injured in the knife incident. The man has been arrested and we are closely monitoring the situation with the police.”
What Happens Next
Further instances of political violence toward global leaders could lead to widespread civil unrest. Law enforcement may have to change the way they go about protecting leaders.
