ANTWERP DRIVER CHARGED WITH TERROR OFFENCES

A man has been charged with terror offences, including attempted murder, after he was arrested driving at high speed into a crowded shopping area in Antwerp, prosecutors said on Friday.

However, a source close to the investigation told AFP on condition of anonymity that investigators could not confirm if it was a terrorist attack and said the driver made little sense during interrogation.

Other sources said the charges could be interpreted as a “precautionary measure” in order to keep the suspect in detention.

The suspect, a 39-year-old Tunisian identified as Mohamed R, was charged with “an attempt to murder in a terrorist manner, an attempt to hit and wound in a terrorist manner and arms infractions,” the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The authorities said they found a rifle and bladed weapons in the car after they arrested the suspect on Thursday.

He also ignored an initial order to stop by soldiers.

Investigators said the man in Antwerp was clearly “under the influence of something” but it was not clear what substance.

He was not in a state to be questioned by police until Friday, a source said.

“His explanation made no sense” and “it is not confirmed that it amounts to a terrorist attack”, the source added.

“Recently, he lived in his car -given the mess we found in there -- between Belgium and the Netherlands where he was also checked by police,” the source said.

Interrogated by French police, a friend of the suspect’s said the weapon in the boot of the car had been there for a long time and did not work.