On 25 August 2017, a stabbing occurred near the Grand-Place/Grote Markt (main square) in Brussels, Belgium, when two soldiers were injured by an assailant wielding a knife.
[13] Ayaanle lived in public housing in Bruges, where the mayor declared the suspect showed no prior signs of radicalization.
[14][15] A spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office said that the assailant shouted "Allahu Akbar" twice as he rushed the soldiers, attacking them from behind.
[16][8][17] In addition to the large knife with which he attacked, Ayaanle was carrying a replica of a gun and a copy of the Quran.
[2][16] The alleged assailant, Haashi Ayaanle, worked for Victor Buyck Steel Construction in Eeklo as a welder from 2013 until April 2017.