Two women die in Anderlecht after knife attack linked to mental health issues

On the afternoon of September 13, officers responded to a 5.04 pm alert about a knife incident at a residence on Avenue de la Poésie in Anderlecht. Upon arrival, they discovered one woman gravely wounded and another brandishing a knife; backup was called but the armed woman leapt from a window before she could be subdued. Paramedics attempted resuscitation on both women, but neither survived.

The Brussels public prosecutor’s office linked the suspect’s actions to psychiatric problems and identified her as an employee of the European Commission. The other deceased was described as a neighbour and friend who had arrived to assist. A lodger in the home, identified only as Angèle, reported that the suspect’s behavior had changed sharply in the days before the incident. A federal forensic team, medical examiner, investigating judge and prosecutor were sent to the scene, and the exact sequence of events remains under investigation.