Victim of stabbing at Antwerp Central station no longer in critical condition

A 69-year-old woman who was stabbed in Antwerp Central station on Thursday is no longer in a critical condition, the Antwerp public prosecutor's office reports. 

The woman was stabbed at 11.20 on board a train that had not yet left the station. After speaking to witnesses, train operator SNCB's security staff arrested a suspect a short time later, elsewhere in the station building.

The suspect has since been identified as a 27-year-old Iraqi with refugee status. The suspect's motive is still under investigation. The man had already been arrested in connection with an incident on Monday. 

That incident involved "assault on a police officer and unruly behaviour", the prosecutor's office said. "As a result of these facts, the public prosecutor of Antwerp decided to summon the suspect by means of summary justice, with the intention of being able to prosecute as soon as possible."

The man had not been held in custody pending this process. He will be brought before the examining magistrate on Friday in connection with the stabbing. 

^{#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM}