Attack in Belgium
Suspected Brussels perpetrator gunned down by police – man was already known to the authorities
A police officer in the center of Brussels, where a man shot two Swedish football fans
© Nicolas Landemard / AP / DPA
A man shoots two Swedish football fans in Brussels. The authorities have tracked him down – and already have a guess as to what was behind the incident.
After the fatal shooting of two Swedes in Brussels, Belgian police have gunned down an armed suspect. According to a spokesman for the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office, it was initially unclear whether this was the perpetrator. The police also found a weapon on the man, which could be the weapon used in the murder attempt on Monday evening. An automatic weapon was found on the man, which was also used in the attack on Monday evening, reports the newspaper “Le Soir”, citing Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden. The man who was shot is “currently in the intensive care unit.”
The man is known to the police. The investigation is still ongoing, but it can already be said that it is a 45-year-old Tunisian who applied for asylum in Belgium in November 2019, said Justice Minister Vincent van Quickenborne. The police noticed him in connection with human trafficking, illegal residence and endangering state security.
The highest level of terror was declared for the Belgian capital on Monday evening. The federal public prosecutor’s office took over the investigation because of a “potentially terrorist motive.” Some media reported that the shooting could have an Islamist background.
Two Swedes shot dead in Brussels
The fatalities are two Swedes. According to the public prosecutor’s office, a third victim, a taxi driver, is now out of danger.
The two Swedes died around five kilometers away from the Brussels football stadium, where the national teams of Belgium and Sweden were playing against each other in a European Championship qualifier. The game was canceled. The news of the deaths of the two Swedes spread during half-time. According to the Swedish TV channel SVT, the Swedish national team players then decided not to continue the game. The Belgian national players would have joined in. For safety reasons, several thousand people initially had to stay in the Brussels football stadium until they could be evacuated.
The Swedish nationality of the victims could be a motivation for the crime, the Belgian news agency Belga quoted a spokesman for the federal prosecutor’s office as saying.
It is not the first time that people have fallen victim to an attack in Brussels. The trial of the 2016 Brussels terrorist attacks only ended around four weeks ago. Three suicide bombers from the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) detonated bombs at Brussels’ Zaventem airport and in a subway station in the heart of the Belgian capital. They killed over 30 people and injured 340. The bereaved were also stunned by media reports at the time that several of the defendants had been monitored by the Belgian security authorities before the attacks – and were still able to carry out their bloody deeds later.
Authorities: Swedish nationality as motivation
According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, a post by a person who posed as the attacker and claimed to be inspired by the terrorist organization Islamic State was shared on social networks. A video is also being shared online that is supposed to show the crime.
The Belga news agency quoted a spokesman for the federal prosecutor’s office as saying that the victims’ Swedish nationality could also be a motivation for the crime. This year, people in Sweden and later also in Denmark burned copies of the Koran several times, triggering angry reactions among Muslims. All this caused diplomatic trouble for the Scandinavian countries.
The authorities did not establish a connection between the attack and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called on his compatriots in Belgium to be cautious and vigilant. De Croo expressed his sincere condolences to Kristersson: “As close partners, the fight against terrorism is a common fight.” However, the spokesman for the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office made it clear that there was so far no connection between the attack and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Von der Leyen: “Cowardly attack”
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke of a “cowardly attack” and expressed her condolences to the people of Sweden. Belgian EU Council President Charles Michel wrote on The Belgian Royal Palace was “shocked” and expressed its “support for the security forces who are doing everything they can to catch the perpetrator of the crimes,” it said on X.
The Council of Muslims in Belgium condemned the attack. He called on the authorities “to exercise the utmost determination to protect our national community and shed light on the issue as quickly as possible.”
Note: The article has been updated: Suspected perpetrator shot down by police.