Six people were injured, two of them seriously, in a knife attack during a Kurdish demonstration on Thursday in Antwerp, Belgium. Authorities have arrested four suspects and opened an investigation for attempted murder, while no terrorism charges have been filed so far.
The attack occurred in the early evening outside Antwerp’s Opera House, where a peaceful demonstration was taking place in support of Syrian Kurds and their autonomous region in northeast Syria (Rojava), amid growing threats from the Assad regime.
According to the Council of Kurdish Communities in Belgium (NavBel), the attack happened as the demonstration was dispersing:
“A group of men, who had infiltrated the crowd, suddenly drew knives and began stabbing people indiscriminately.”
NavBel strongly condemned the incident as a “terrorist act driven by extremist and jihadist motives” targeting the Kurdish community. They called for Belgian authorities to treat the attack as an act of terrorism rather than isolated violence.
“This was not random — it was a deliberate assault on a community.”
While investigators are reviewing CCTV footage and searching for potential additional suspects, police have not yet confirmed the motive. The Anvers police spokesperson, Wouter Bruyns, said a formal terrorism investigation has not been opened at this stage.
In response to the incident, a planned Kurdish demonstration for Friday in Antwerp has been cancelled out of respect for the victims and to prevent further escalation.
The incident comes amid heightened tension for Kurdish communities in Europe, who have increasingly been the target of threats and attacks related to regional conflicts and rising extremism.
