Islamic State flag found near the body of gunman named after Brussels shootout

An Isil flag, a Kalashnikov and a book on Salafism were found in the flat where a suspect was killed during shootout in Brussels on Tuesday, according to deputy Brussels prosecutor, Thierry Werts.

The dead man has been identified as Mohammed Belkaid, an Algerian unknown to security services and an illegal immigrant. He is only known to have committed a petty theft in 2014. He was killed by a special forces sniper after shooting at police from a window. Four police officers, three Belgian and one French, were injured in the shoot out.

Two suspects have been arrested – one after checking into hospital with a broken leg. Two other suspects are at large.

The flat was being raided as part of an investigation into the Paris terror attacks of November 13, in which 130 died. An automatic weapon was found by his side. Two suspects inside also had a pump action shotgun. They managed to escape during the shootout. Police found 11 Kalashnikov cartridges and “countless munitions”.

They continued their search and moved to a nearby area after finding two gun cartridges and dark clothing in the area. They found another Kalashnikov.

However, two other suspects reportedly managed to flee on the roof. Belgian special forces continued the manhunt throughout the night, with the search moving from rue de Dries to nearby avenue du Bempt, where a raid was conducted at dawn, according to RTBF. According to Dernière Heure, the suspects are thought to be Khalid and Ibrahim El Bakraoui, known for gangster-related crimes.

Charles Michel, the Belgian prime minister, said that the police operation was still underway.