Police confirmed in the evening that two people were shot near the city center. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo wrote on Twitter (X) that the fatal victims were Swedish citizens. According to the Public Ministry, a third victim, a taxi driver, is now out of danger.
The alleged perpetrator was in Belgium illegally and is known to authorities, Justice Minister Vincent van Quickenborne said on Tuesday morning. The investigation was ongoing. We could say that he is a 45-year-old Tunisian who sought asylum in Belgium in November 2019.
Portal/Johanna Geron Security measures have been greatly reinforced on the streets of Brussels
“He received a negative decision in October 2020 and disappeared from the radar shortly afterwards,” said Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, Nicole de Moor. He was officially removed from the National Register in February 2021. He has never stayed in a state reception center. As he was removed from the national register, his whereabouts could not be determined to organize his return, she said.
“No concrete evidence of radicalization”
The police noted him in connection with human trafficking, illegal residence and danger to the security of the State. Belgian broadcaster RTBF reported that he had already been tried in his home country for terrorist crimes.
In July 2016, a foreign police agency passed on unconfirmed information that the man had a radicalized profile and wanted to go to jihad in a conflict area, van Quickenborne said. There is a lot of this information. They have been checked without results. “Furthermore, to the best of our services’ knowledge, there has been no concrete evidence of radicalization.”
Higher terrorist alert level in Brussels
A suspected Islamist assassin shot two Swedish citizens in Brussels on Monday and has been on the run ever since. The highest level of terrorist alert has been imposed.
A house search carried out by special forces in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels on Tuesday was unsuccessful, according to federal prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw. “No one was found at the address given,” he said. For security reasons, the entire building with around 20 apartments was searched by the police.
The victims would be Swedish fans
The crime occurred shortly after 7pm, near Place Sainctelette, in the north of the Belgian capital, just before the European Championship qualifiers, at the King Badouin Stadium, in Brussels. According to several media reports, the victims were Swedish fans.
The two died about five kilometers from the Brussels football stadium. Qualification for the European Championship was canceled when the score was 1-1. News of their deaths spread during the break. According to the Swedish television channel SVT, the Swedish national team players then decided not to continue the game. The Belgian players would have joined. For security reasons, several thousand people initially had to wait at the Brussels football stadium until they were taken away.
Possibly confession video
According to the Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office responsible for terrorism, so far there is no evidence that there is a link between the attack in Brussels and the attack on Israel by the radical Islamist Hamas. The victims’ Swedish nationality could be a motivation for the crime, Belgian news agency Belga said, citing a spokesman for the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Investigators said a confessional video in which a man spoke Arabic was circulating online. In another video posted on the website of the Flemish newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, the alleged shooter, wearing an orange jacket, can be seen carrying an automatic weapon and leaving on a scooter. At least four shots can be heard at the same time. Unconfirmed images of a man who describes himself as a member of ISIS and says he killed three Swedes have been shared on social media. It is unclear whether the man now arrested is the same man.
Condolences from many quarters
De Croo expressed his sincere condolences to Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson: “As close partners, the fight against terrorism is a common fight.” Kristersson appealed to Swedes in Belgium to be vigilant. Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer spoke on Monday about “terrible news coming from Brussels”. Sweden raised its terror alert level to the second-highest level in August after the Koran burnings in Sweden outraged Muslims. The Swedish government condemned the fires.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, spoke of a “cowardly attack” and expressed her condolences to the people of Sweden. The Belgian President of the Council of the EU, Charles Michel, wrote on Twitter (X): “The heart of Europe is being struck by violence. My condolences go out to the families of the victims of the deadly attack in the center of Brussels.” The Belgian Royal Palace said it was “shocked” and expressed its “support for the security forces who are doing everything they can to capture the perpetrator of the crime of crimes”, said the platform.
Nehammer: “Side by Side”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made similar comments. “Italy strongly condemns all forms of violence, fanaticism and terrorism and expresses its deepest solidarity with the victims and their families,” she said in a statement. Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) condemned the act “in the strongest possible terms”. “We stand side by side in the fight against terrorism and extremism,” emphasized Nehammer on Twitter. Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) also condemned the attack.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced that he wanted to strengthen border controls with neighboring Belgium. On Friday, a French teacher was killed by a radicalized former student at a school in northern France. Since then, the highest alert level has been in effect in the country.
Belgium has been the target of terrorist attacks on several occasions
The Council of Muslims in Belgium condemned the attack. He called on authorities “to exercise utmost determination to protect our national community and shed light on the issue as quickly as possible.”
Belgium has been the target of several attacks in recent years. On March 22, 2016, three suicide bombers blew themselves up at the airport and a metro station in the capital Brussels. 35 people died and almost 700 were injured. The IS terrorist militia claimed responsibility for the crimes.
In November 2022, also in Brussels, a man armed with a knife attacked two police officers, killing one of them and seriously injuring the other. The Federal Public Ministry opened an investigation.