Did authorities have their eyes closed ahead of Liege attack?

Did authorities have their eyes closed ahead of Liege attack?

Police in Liege are attributing another death to the gunman who went on a shooting spree on Tuesday afternoon. A 45-year-old woman, who worked as a cleaning woman in the neighborhood, was found dead in a shed near the apartment of the shooter.
Authorities believe 33-year-old Nordine Amrani shot the woman before he went on his shooting rampage in downtown Liege, killing an additional three people before taking his own life. Further victims are in critical condition.
Unsuccessful search for motive
The suspect opened fire in a crowd of people on Tuesday afternoon near Liege's popular Christmas market. He detonated grenades, before - according to public prosecutors - turning the gun on himself. More grenades were found in a backpack he was carrying.
Investigators say he left no suicide note that may have indicated the reasons behind the shooting, but they have eliminated terrorism as a motive. Rumors that Amrani acted with an accomplice have also proven to be false.
The fact that Amrani has Moroccan roots has, despite being discussed in the Belgian media, so far played no role in official statements about the attack.
Previous history with weapons
Amrani was summoned for a meeting with police on the day of the attack, but didn't actually show up for the appointment. In 2008, Amrani had been sentenced to several years in prison on charges of illegal weapon and drug possession, but he was released early in 2010 and put on probation.
Back then, the police found about a dozen loaded handguns, thousands of weapons parts and around 3,000 cannabis plants. According to prosecutors, the shed containing the body of the cleaning woman found Tuesday had been used by Amrani to grow cannabis.
Belgian media indicate that those weren't the only crimes Amrani had committed. Reports show that Amrani had over 20 run-ins with the law, including sexual offences. Tuesday's summons by police was in connection with a charge of sexual assault.
Belgian Interior Minister Jolle Milquet speculated in a radio interview that Amrani may have feared being arrested again because of the police summons.
Weapons disappearing from Belgian barracks
Now, the judicial authority is facing widespread criticism: how is it that a man with a history of weapons charges against him could have armed himself so well and gone unnoticed? As expected, there have been calls for stricter weapons laws in Belgium. Over the past few years, firearms regulations have been tightened up but the black market is booming.
Most of the weapons come from the Balkans and from former Soviet states. Weapons also disappear from bases of the Belgian military, but these cases are rarely solved.
So it may be some time before an answer is found as to how Amrani's shooting ever became possible