Hero Passenger Thwarts Deadly Bus Rampage in Antwerp, Saving Lives

A deadly assault took place on board a bus in Antwerp. Around 2:30 pm, as the bus was traveling near the Ernest Claes street, a man suddenly brandished a knife on a De Lijn bus on line 36 and attacked a passenger, reports Het Laatste Nieuws. "I had an appointment at Ethias, then I had to go to the pharmacy," says Nacer, 63. "[...] I wanted to take the car, but the doctor told me that walking would be beneficial for my recovery. So I decided to walk to the bus stop to take bus 36." Inside, about ten people, including a woman sitting with her children.

"I sat at the back of the bus. I saw the future aggressor sitting there, a man of about 35 with short brown hair and a beard. He was wearing beige pants, white shoes, a light blue shirt and a sweater on his shoulders," testifies the sexagenarian. The aggressor, a 38-year-old Georgian, politely asks Nacer in Dutch and with a hand gesture what time it was. It was precisely 2:29 pm. The irreparable will be committed. Knife in hand, the thirty-year-old attacks a 76-year-old man, then stabs him several times in the neck.

Panicked, the passengers try to escape the worst. Nacer confronts the aggressor. "’What’s going on here?’ I asked myself." He clenched his fists, approached the culprit and shouted: "Hey, what do you want? Come if you want to fight!" The thirty-year-old stabs him in the right leg, making him fall, then tries to hit him in the chest. In vain. The man continued to cross the bus shouting: "I want ten dead!" while raising his fingers one by one, mimicking the number of victims he wanted.

In the aftermath, the driver, panicked, calls for help. The police arrive and approach the bus. The aggressor tries to flee, but he will be slowed down. Nacer was admitted to the hospital where he received care. After a few hours, he returned home. He is hailed and celebrated by the residents of the neighborhood. "It’s thanks to him that it didn’t turn into a massacre," say the residents of the neighborhood.