BEIRUT — The Islamic State group on Wednesday claimed one of its "soldiers" killed two policewomen and a student in the Belgian city of Liege this week, the jihadists’ Amaq propaganda agency said.

"The author of the attack on the city of Liege in Belgium is a soldier of the Islamic State," IS said in a statement published on Amaq’s Telegram account a day after the attack.

The terror group said "he led the attack in response to calls to target the countries of the US-led international coalition," which is fighting the jihadist group mainly in Syria.

The attacker identified as Benjamin Herman repeatedly stabbed two policewomen in Liege on Tuesday before using their own firearms to kill them, according to investigators in Belgium.

The 31-year-old also shot dead a student sitting in a parked car in the centre of the industrial city.

Belgian police have identified Herman as a drifter who spent a decade in and out of prison for acts of violence and petty crimes.

Prosecutors said his method of attack was a known "modus operandi" of IS, which claimed deadly attacks in Brussels in 2016.

Amateur footage obtained by AFP showed the gunman shouting "Allahu akbar" (Arabic for "God is greatest") as he walked through the streets during the rampage. — AFP