2nd LD Writethru: Gunman in failed attack on military base in S. Belgium

A masked gunman attacked a military base in southern Belgium on Monday morning, ramming his car into a perimeter gate and exchanging gunshots with army officers, local media reported.

The incident happened at Flawinne near the city of Namur, Belgian broadcaster RTL reported. The man, wearing a balaclava, fled the scene after a brief exchange of gunfire and abandoned his car nearby.

No soldiers were injured, and the attacker's condition is not yet known, the broadcaster added.

One eyewitness told RTL: "I live 100 meters from the barracks. Police in bullet-proof vests have set up a security perimeter and we are not allowed to return home."

The broadcaster said about 50 military personnel were on the base at the time -- significantly lower than the usual 650, because many of the staff stationed there are on an exercise abroad.

A spokesman for the Namur public prosecutor told La Derniere Heure that an investigation was under way but refused to comment further.

Mine-clearing experts have been called in to check for explosives in the abandoned car, La Derniere Heure added. Endit