Belgian Jihadi Attack on Police Women: Pistol Beats Machete

A man shot by police after he attacked two officers with a machete in the Belgian city of Charleroi has died.

The women officers’ injuries are not life-threatening.

The assailant is said to have shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest” in Arabic) during the assault outside the city’s main police station.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told broadcaster RTL by phone: “Initial indications very clearly point towards terrorism.“

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Nov. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: SWHC), parent company of Smith & Wesson Corp., the legendary 159-year old company in the global business of safety, security, protection, and sport, announced today that it has recently received a contract from the Belgium Federal Police calling for 20,000 Smith & Wesson® Military & Police (M&P) 9mm polymer pistols over a ten-year period. The police agency, a force with 12,500 officers, has received an initial shipment of 2,500 pistols as part of the full department conversion to Smith & Wesson duty firearms.

After an open evaluation process that included numerous competitors, the Smith & Wesson M&P9 was selected for its performance and for the support services provided by the Company. A thorough test and evaluation process by the Belgium Federal Police indicated that the firearm’s reliability, interchangeable grips sizes and low perceived recoil were among the key drivers in the decision. In addition to duty pistols, the Belgium Federal Police also placed orders for simunition and dedicated training firearms based on the M&P platform. The firearms offered by Smith & Wesson were supported with a full range of services, including armorer’s training. The Company also provided the agency with product manuals in multiple languages in order to ease the transition process.

The pistols ordered by the Belgium Federal Police were based upon the well established M&P platform, which has been adopted by hundreds of police agencies and has achieved popularity with consumers as well. The M&P9 pistols were built to meet the exact specifications set forth by the police agency. Enhanced features included luminescent sights, a manual thumb safety with on/off red dot indicator, and a raised loaded chamber indicator on top of the slide that could be felt by hand. The M&P9 pistols retained the original design features and were supplied with two 17-round magazines along with cleaning materials.

I do not know if the Jihadi was shot with a S&W M&P9 or one of the older High-Powers. Both pistols are well thought of.  I have not been able to ID any of the pistols carried by police women in pictures associated with the shooting, but there are several officers that are carrying UZI sub-machineguns. The sub-guns seem to be issued as a special tool.  Perhaps a knowledgeable reader can inform us as to how often the UZI is seen being carried by the Belgium Federal Police.

The Belgium police also have Steyer AUG rifles in their inventory.

Quite a coup for S&W to win this contract over FN.

This is another example for rampage shooters (or other attackers) to choose “gun free” zones.

 ©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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