A police officer was stabbed in the neck in the centre of Brussels on Tuesday morning by a man who was reported as having shouted “Allahu Akbar” before launching his attack.

The knifeman, 33, was shot three times by another officer outside a police station close to Brussels’ world famous Grand Place, a Unesco world heritage site, at 5.30am local time on Tuesday morning.

The wounded officer was rushed to hospital. Police spokeswoman Illse Van De Keere said, “The officer is injured but his life is not in danger.”

The attacker, who wielded two kitchen knives, is also expected to survive his injuries, which include wounds to his chest, but is in a critical condition.

Belgian media reported the man was known to police for robbery and violent crimes but not for terror offences.

It emerged that the suspect, named in the Belgian press as Issam T, was only released from a secure hospital in October and against the advice of the public prosecutor’s advice, which has opened an investigation into “attempted murder with a terrorist context”.

Ms Van de Keere said it was too early to make any statements on whether the attack was terror-related or the allegations the man had shouted “Allahu Akbar”, which means “God is Great”.

Koen Geens, the minister of justice, told local radio, “We are looking for a link with radicalism but for the time being it does not seem to be there.”

“The police are victims of a cowardly attack,” said Jan Jambon, Belgium’s deputy prime minister and security minister.

The prosecutor’s office is due to give an update on the investigation later this morning.

In May, a lone terrorist on day release from prison murdered three people, two of whom were female police officer, in the Belgian city of Liege.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president who is on a state visit to Belgium, visited the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek today.

The visit is heavy with symbolism because those responsible for the Paris terror attack came from Molenbeek. Franco-Belgian relations suffered amid accusations the Belgian had not done enough to stem radical Islam in its country.

Mr Macron said that the “worst thing” would be to equate the Paris bombers with the people of Molenbeek.