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Car Tries to Crash Into Belgium's Flawinne Barracks, Shots Fired

Prosecutors said shots were fired and the suspect is on the run.
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A masked man tried to crash his car through the gates of a military barracks in southern Belgium, according to prosecutors and local media.

Belgian prosecutors told NBC News that shots were fired when the suspect tried to penetrate the barracks in Flawinne, near the city of Namur. The suspect fled and a search was launched, the prosecutor's office added.

The incident was first reported by Belgium's Derniere Heure, which said the suspect was wearing a mask and that explosives experts were called in to search his vehicle.

The Belgian military confirmed an incident took place, saying in a statement that federal and local police were on the scene and had set up a security perimeter. It said federal prosecutors have opened an investigation but did not provide further details.

There were only around 50 people at the barracks at the time of the incident because most of the base's inhabitants were away on a large exercise, according to Belgium's defense cabinet. The barracks is typically home to several hundred para-commandos.