Abdesalem L. was taken to the intensive care unit, the Prime Minister of the Brussels Capital Region, Rudi Vervoort, reported on Tuesday, according to public television. He has since died there, reports the APA.
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There had previously been confusion over a person shot by police in Brussels. Vervoort has now confirmed that it is the same man suspected of shooting two Swedes and wounding another person in the Belgian capital on Monday.
According to previous information from Justice Minister Vincent van Quickenborne, the alleged perpetrator is a 45-year-old Tunisian who applied for asylum in Belgium in November 2019. The State Secretary for Asylum and Migration, Nicole de Moor, said his asylum application had been rejected and he was officially removed from the national register in February 2021.
According to Justice Minister van Quickenborne, the man came to the attention of the police in connection with human trafficking, illegal residence and endangering state security. In July 2016, unconfirmed information was transmitted by a foreign police agency that the man had a radicalized profile and wanted to go to jihad in a conflict area, van Quickenborne said. “Moreover, as far as our services know, there was no concrete evidence of radicalization.”
Picture gallery: Terror alarm in downtown Brussels
Terror alarm in downtown Brussels (Photo: HATIM KAGHAT (Belga)) View image 1/22 gallery
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said early on Tuesday that because the threat level for Brussels had been upgraded to the highest level, there would now be an increased police presence. Increased security measures would also be implemented in a number of sensitive locations, particularly those associated with the Swedish community. The National Security Council is scheduled to meet in the afternoon.
Third victim out of danger
Early on Monday evening, according to the Belga news agency, an armed man got off a scooter in the north of the city center and fired shots on the street. When several people fled into a house entrance, he is said to have chased them and shot them. The police did not initially confirm this information. De Croo wrote on Twitter (X) that the fatalities were Swedish citizens. According to the public prosecutor’s office, a third victim, a taxi driver, is now out of danger.
The crime occurred shortly after 7 p.m. near Place Sainctelette in the north of the Belgian capital, immediately before a European Championship qualifier at the King Badouin Stadium in Brussels. The victims were Swedish fans.
The two Swedes died around five kilometers from the Brussels football stadium. The European Championship qualifier was canceled when the score was 1-1. 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 team left Brussels on Monday evening: As Swedish television SVT reported, coach Janne Andersson’s team was flown out on a charter plane that night.
According to the Belgian Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office responsible for terrorism, there is currently no evidence that there is a connection between the attack in Brussels and the Gaza conflict. 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. In Sweden there have been several burnings of the Koran, the holy book of Muslims, in recent months, which led to violent and sometimes violent protests in Islamic countries.
Investigators said that a confessional video in which a man spoke in Arabic was circulating online. In another video published on the website of the Flemish newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, the suspected shooter, wearing an orange neon jacket, can be seen shouldering an automatic weapon and driving away on a scooter. At least four shots can be heard at the same time. Unconfirmed footage of a man describing himself as a member of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization and saying he killed three Swedes has been shared on social media.
De Croo expressed his sincere condolences to Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson: “As close partners, the fight against terrorism is a common fight.” Kristersson called on Swedes in Belgium to be vigilant. Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer spoke on Monday of “terrible news from Brussels”. Sweden raised its terror alert level to the second highest level in August after Koran burnings in Sweden outraged Muslims. The Swedish government condemned the burnings.
Political reactions
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 tweeted: “The heart of Europe is being hit 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 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 Twitter (X).
Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) condemned the act “in the strongest possible terms”. “We stand side by side in the fight against terror and extremism,” emphasized Nehammer via Twitter (X). Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) also condemned the attack.
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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.”
Belgium has been the target of terrorist attacks several times in recent years. On March 22, 2016, three suicide bombers blew themselves up at the airport and in a subway station in the capital Brussels. 35 people were killed and almost 700 others were injured. IS claimed responsibility for the crimes.
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Terror alarm in Brussels: 2 dead
BRUSSELS. At least two people were shot dead in Brussels on Monday evening.
Terror alarm in Brussels: 2 dead
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