Terrifying Video Shows An American Woman, Her Friend And Two Daughters Attacked By A Man With A Knife In Brussels Over ICE Operations In The US

An Alabama woman says she and her family were forced to flee for their lives after a man allegedly threatened them with a large knife while riding a train in Brussels earlier this month.

Amanda Hardy said the incident occurred on February 1 while she was traveling with a friend and their two daughters. According to Hardy, the group was confronted by a man who questioned them about their nationality before becoming aggressive.

Hardy told WSFA that she managed to record part of the encounter on her phone. In the video, a man speaking accented English can be heard asking where the women are from and referencing the United States. He also asked whether they supported ICE, according to Hardy.

She said the situation escalated quickly when the man pulled out what she described as an 18 inch knife wrapped in a blue scarf. The man can later be heard on the video making additional threats, claiming he could shoot and boasting about being faster than Americans.

Footage shows the women and children moving rapidly through the train before breaking into a run as they screamed for help. Hardy said it took roughly three minutes for the group to reach an exit and escape the train car.

“We don’t know if he was following us the entire time or if he blended into the crowd,” Hardy said. “But after everything, he stood there acting like nothing had happened.”

According to Hardy, Belgian authorities later arrested the man involved in the incident.

Afterward, she said she contacted U.S. officials to report what happened. Hardy said she reached out to the U.S. Embassy seeking assistance, believing her family had been targeted because they were American.

“I was pleading for help,” Hardy said. “But I was told it was the weekend and that because we had our passports, this generally wasn’t something they could assist with.”

Hardy later shared the video and details of the incident across social media, saying the experience left her shaken and concerned for her children’s safety.

“Our children deserve better, whether at home or abroad,” she wrote in one post.

In another message, Hardy condemned the attack and called for accountability, stating that violence against women and children has no place in a civilized society and should never be justified for political reasons.

“This is a human issue,” she wrote. “And it has now become personal.”