High-school hostage standoff follows shooting in Belgium; 3 dead

Image: Police officers are seen on the scene of a shooting in Liege
Police officers shelter behind a car at the scene of a shooting in Liege, Belgium, on Tuesday. Copyright Michel Wilmet
By Alice Tidey and Nancy Ing with NBC News World News
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A message on the the city's official Twitter account said "children from local schools are safe and sound."

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LONDON — Teens were taken hostage at a high school in Belgium after two police officers and a civilian were fatally shot in the Belgian city of Liege, authorities said Tuesday.

A suspect was later "neutralized," the province's governor said.

A message on the the city's official Twitter account said "children from local schools are safe and sound" and confirmed the three deaths.

Hervé Jamar, the governor of the province of Liege, referred to a "hostage situation" at the high school in a tweet but also wrote that none of the students were hurt.

Police officers in Belgium have been targeted repeatedly in recent years.

In August 2016, two female police officers were stabbed in the city of Charleroi by an Algerian national who had been due to be deported. The attack was later claimed by the so-called Islamic State.

Three police officers were also attacked in Brussels in October 2016 by a man wielding a machete. Another machete attack in the Belgian capital wounded two soldiers in August.

Attacks on Brussels airport and on the city's subway network killed dozens in March 2016.

This is breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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