CNN –
A gunman suspected of killing two Swedish nationals in a terror attack in Brussels has died after being shot by police. This ends a night-time manhunt.
Belgian federal prosecutors confirmed on Tuesday that the suspect, whose identity has yet to be confirmed, was killed.
Public broadcaster RTBF previously reported that the suspect was killed on Tuesday morning during a police operation in the Cage aux Ours district in the Brussels municipality of Schaerbeek, northeast of the capital. He was carrying a weapon, RTBF reported.
CNN has contacted the offices of the Belgian prime minister, interior minister and federal prosecutor for further information.
The suspected gunman carried out a fatal attack on Monday evening as Belgium hosted Sweden in a Euro 2024 qualifier at the King Baudouin Stadium, 5 kilometers from central Brussels, forcing the game to be abandoned at half-time.
In a video posted on social media, a man who identified himself as the shooter claimed to be “inspired by the Islamic State,” a spokesman for the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office said, adding: “The Swedish nationality of the victims was cited as a likely motivation for this. ” The act.”
“At this point there is no evidence of a possible connection with the Israeli-Palestinian situation. “Based on both the facts and the allegation, urgent security measures have been taken to protect Swedish fans as best as possible,” spokesman Eric Van Duyse said during a press conference.
The deadly shooting followed a spate of Koran-burning protests in Sweden and Denmark that has sparked angry demonstrations in Muslim-majority countries, heightened security fears and left both Scandinavian nations questioning whether they need to review their liberal free speech laws.
Belgian authorities condemned the attack.
“Horrified by the terrorist attack that claimed two victims in the heart of Brussels,” Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “All necessary means must be mobilized to combat radicalism. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and our police forces.”
Following the attack, the terror threat level for Brussels was raised to the highest Level 4, while the French Interior Ministry told CNN it had “tightened” controls at the France-Belgium border.
Police were on the streets of Brussels to ensure security, the city’s mayor, Philippe Close, posted on X.
“Following the shooting in Brussels, police services are mobilizing to ensure security in and around our capital, working with the Home Secretary,” Close said. “I’m at the crisis center… to ensure coordination.”
In a post on
“I am following the situation closely together with the justice and interior ministers [the Belgian Crisis Center]. “We are monitoring the situation and ask the people of Brussels to be vigilant,” he said.
The country’s crisis center also asked people in a post to X not to share images or videos of the incident “out of respect” for the victims.