Brussels , Belgium ( CNN ) -- A man who killed five people and himself in a gun and grenade attack in Belgium feared going back to prison and losing the life he had built , his lawyer said Thursday . The attack on a crowded market square in Liege Tuesday by Nourdine Amrani , which also left at least 130 people wounded , shocked the nation . His defense lawyer in Liege , Jean-Francois Dister , told CNN Amrani had called him late Monday and early Tuesday after the police called him in for interview Tuesday afternoon over a sexual assault case . `` It was n't so much life in prison that bothered him -- he 'd served time already -- but it was he 'd rebuilt his life on the outside , and he was worried about losing all this , '' Dister said . The lawyer said he was stunned when he heard later that day that Amrani , whom he had known for two-and-a-half years , was responsible for the grenade attack . `` It 's very shocking . I do n't understand the reason why he did this , and I think I will probably never understand , '' he said . Nonetheless , Dister 's comments give the first real insight into what might have motivated Amrani to go on a rampage that targeted people waiting at a bus stop by a busy Christmas market . After the attack , police also found a dead woman in a residence next to a workshop where Amrani once grew marijuana , a local police spokesman said Wednesday . Amrani had previously served time in prison for rape and drug trafficking offenses , his lawyer said . He was released last year . Dister said Amrani was also convicted on weapons charges in 2008 but later acquitted . Liege authorities have not said he was cleared on those counts . Liege prosecutor Danielle Reynders told CNN Wednesday that the police interview involved a sexual assault case , rather than a rumored rape allegation . `` Because Amrani was convicted of rape in 2003 , police obviously regarded him as a person of interest , '' Dister said . Dister said his client , who had a Belgian partner whom Dister had met several times , feared losing everything . `` He was someone that was integrated into society . He felt Belgian . I 'm not sure if he was a practicing Muslim but he knew about his culture and his roots , '' Dister said . `` When things were going well for him he was very pleasant and good-natured . I never had problems with him . But , that said , sometimes when legal proceedings were dragging on , or he was accused of things he claimed ( he ) was not responsible for he could become annoyed and agitated -- but it was in words only . '' Dister said Amrani did not to his knowledge take drugs and had not been charged with drugs use . Authorities will conduct an autopsy in part to see whether Amrani was under the influence of drugs during the attack , said a senior Belgian security source who has been briefed on the investigation but did not want to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media . It is not yet clear how Amrani , who Reynders said was a Brussels-born Belgian citizen of Moroccan descent , obtained the pistol , semi-automatic rifle and three grenades he used in the attack . Katrin Delcourt , a spokeswoman for the provincial governor 's office , described Amrani Wednesday as having significant gunsmith and firearms skills . For a period up to 2008 , he held a French hunting license under which he bought at least one weapon , she said , but that license was revoked as a result of the police investigation that led to his conviction on arms and drugs trafficking offenses in 2008 . The weapons he owned then were destroyed and police are continuing to investigate whether the arms used in Tuesday 's attack were bought on the black market , Delcourt said . One of the weapons he had , a light automatic rifle , is a standard weapon in the Belgian army , she said . Amrani left no explanation for his actions , investigators have said .
Amrani 's lawyer says his client feared losing the life he had rebuilt after a past prison term . Lawyer Jean-Francois Dister spoke to the gunman shortly before he went on a rampage . The attack in Liege left five people and the gunman dead , as well as at least 130 wounded . Comment: