Two female police officers and civilian shot dead in Liège.

Two female police officers and a civilian were shot dead in the eastern Belgian city of Liège.

The gunman also took a female cleaner hostage at a school before being killed by police. Four other police officers were also injured.

The man’s motive is not yet clear but the incident is being treated as terrorism.

The shooting occurred around 10:30am local time (8:30 GMT) near a high school on a major artery in the city, which lies some 90 kilometres east of Brussels.

The local public prosecutor said the man attacked the two officers from behind with a knife, took one of their guns and shot them both dead, before killing a passenger in a car parked nearby.

Liège’s mayor’s office later confirmed that both of the police officers killed were women.

The assailant took refuge in a school where he was killed in a subsequent gunfight during which several other police officers were wounded, the prosecutor added.

Based on reports by BBC, CNN, FT and France 24