An undentified man walks away with a child after a stabbing incident at a daycare center in Dendermonde, Belgium, Friday Jan. 23, 2009. It was not immediately known the motive for the incident, when a man bicycled to the day care centre, walked in and began a stabbing spree killing two youngsters, a care giver and sending 10 children to hospital.(AP Photo/Alain Sprimont)
Belgium: stab suspect had other day-care addresses
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) — Belgian authorities say a man accused of a day-care center stabbing spree was carrying a backpack of weapons and the addresses of three other nurseries.
Prosecutor Christian Du Four says the suspect wore a bulletproof vest under his clothing and had a knife, an axe and a fake gun.
Three judicial officials told The Associated Press Saturday that the man had the addresses of three other nurseries. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was not being publicly released.
Du Four said he would not comment on whether the suspect planned other attacks.
The prosecutor's office in the town of Dendermonde says the man was charged with three counts of murder. Two babies and a nursery worker died of knife wounds Friday.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) — Judicial authorities said Saturday they were questioning a 20-year-old man suspected of a bloody rampage at a day care center in western Belgium, stabbing two babies and a woman to death and seriously injuring 12 other people.
Authorities said they have identified the man, who they believe carried out the attack on Friday in the town of Dendermonde. They have searched his house and seized a computer.
The suspect has been formally arrested, but not yet charged, the local prosecutor's office said. He was expected at a court hearing on Tuesday.
Prosecutor Christian Du Four told VRT radio that the man was not under the influence of drink or drugs at the time of the attack and that he was not under any sort of psychiatric care.
Investigators believe the suspect entered the Fabeltjesland creche at around 10 a.m. on Friday, in the town northwest of Brussels, wielding an eight-inch (20-centimeter) knife.
He had painted his face white with black patches around the eyes. Belgian newspapers likened the description to the Joker character from the latest Batman movie.
The suspect started slashing the children. One worker tried but failed to disarm him and another, a 54-year-old care giver, was stabbed to death, Du Four said. Two babies — a 9-month old girl and a 6-month old boy — were also killed.
The man walked out of the building but was later arrested in a nearby supermarket.
Dr. Ignace Demeyer, from Our Lady Hospital in nearby Aalst said six of the 10 injured children could be released from care over the weekend.
All of the wounded needed surgery Friday night, but all were in stable condition on Saturday.
Belgians were in shock after the brutal attack and many gathered outside the building Saturday to leave flowers and teddy bears and light candles in memory of the victims.
"What happened yesterday is really incredible, for all of us. For all the parents, for the neighbors, we feel very much with these people," said Maria Lorero, a local resident.
"We thought that things like this only happened in the United States and now we see that in Belgium, in a small village like this ... that such a thing could happen, it is very, very bad," said Serge De Plecker.
Some 40,000 people also signed up to a special condolences and support page on popular networking site Facebook.
A march and vigil outside the center planned for Sunday were also expected to draw hundreds.
Friday's rampage drew comparisons to a similar crime perpetrated by a 19-year-old in Antwerp in 2006.
Hans Van Themsche, now serving a life sentence, unleashed a racist-fueled shooting spree in downtown Antwerp, killing a black woman and a white toddler she was baby-sitting. A woman of Turkish descent was also wounded.
The shootings unleashed a public outcry against racist violence.
Prosecutor Christian Du Four has released more details on the fatal stabbing in a day care center in East Flanders, Belgium, yesterday, in which two children (six and nine months old) and one employee were killed. Ten children and two adults were injured.

The alleged perpetrator, a 20-year-old man from nearby Sint-Niklaas, was arrested in the neighbouring municipality of Lebbeke shortly after the crime. Belgian news website nieuwsblad.be have named the arrested man as Kim De Gelder.

===The attack===
The attacker wore a bullet-proof vest under his clothes and a backpack containing a knife, an axe and a fake pistol. Two other knives were found near the crime scene.

The prosecutor confirmed that the man's face was painted white with blackened eyes as he committed the crime, which led international media to make comparisons to the Joker, the villain from the Batman series.

"I have a question," the killer told the first employee he encountered, after which he immediately stabbed her, and started his rampage. One female day care worker attempted to disarm the killer while others locked the doors. The killer stabbed employees trying to carry children to safety.

The arrested man is not cooperating with the investigation and has not confessed. The prosecutor described his attitude as "passive". "He says nothing to his questioners. He is absolutely uncooperative," the prosecutor explained. Yesterday, media reported that the killer was laughing at the officers who were questioning him, but the prosecutor today denied these speculations.

According to the crime scene investigation, the man entered the building through an unlocked side-entrance which gave immediate access to the room with the babies. He stabbed several of them, then went to another room where he stabbed other children. He then fled on the bicycle on which he had arrived.

Location of the stabbing.
Panic struck in Dendermonde amidst fears that the man would attack more crèches or schools. There were reports that the killer carried a note with names and addresses of other day care centres or schools nearby, something which the prosecutor could not comment on. The Associated Press says three judicial officials anonymously confirmed that the attacker carried addresses of three other nurseries. Following news of the stabbings, all schools in Dendermonde were ordered to keep all gates shut.

Eyewitness Hans Staelens told reporters that he had noticed a suspicious character in the street where the day care centre 'Fable Land' was located. He described him as "not too tall, thin, red hair, dark eyes, like make-up".

The alleged killer lived alone and was unemployed, but does not have a criminal record. "There is no element whatsoever that makes us believe he has a psychiatric history," the prosecutor told the press at a conference today. He has commissioned three psychiatrists to examine the man. Kim D. was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

===Victims===
One child and one woman died in the day care centre itself, with another child dying in hospital. All injured are reported to be in stable condition. Three children and one adult remain in intensive care. Five others also remain hospitalised, although several are expected to be discharged at some point during the weekend.

54-year-old Marita Blindeman, who was killed in the attack, worked in the day care centre, which was sponsored by social services, since she was 18. Since the death of her father, she lived with, and took care of, both her mother and her sister, who has a learning disability. Just two years ago, she started having a relationship with a man, according to her son in a letter to newspapers.

Only six of the 18 children in the crèche, all under the age of three, were uninjured. Meanwhile, the decision has been taken not to reopen the day care centre, but to provide day care in other facilities. Six employees were present during the attack.

===Response to the incident===
Friday evening, the Belgian crown prince and his wife visited the crime scene. The couple, who have four children, were moved deeply by the killings.

Some hundred people have signed a mourning registry in Dendermonde's city hall, and flowers and teddy bears were left at the day care centre. A silent demonstration is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon and a mourning ceremony will be held on Monday evening.

Several media outlets have discussed the safety of day care centres. Minister Veerle Heeren said she would consider additional safety measures if the investigation suggests it, but also added that, "a day care centre should be a haven, not a prison."