Brussels shooting: Police shoot dead attacker who killed Swedes

Brussels shooting: Police shoot dead attacker who killed Swedes
News Desk

By News Desk


Published: 17/10/2023

Police in Brussels have shot dead the man who killed two Swedish nationals on Monday evening.

The 45-year-old man named as Abdesalem was shot in a café in the Schaerbeek neighbourhood.

Two Swedes were killed and a third injured in the automatic rifle attack on Monday.

It took place on Boulevard d'Ypres, 5km (3 miles) from the stadium where Belgium was playing Sweden to qualify for the Euro 2024 football tournament.

Brussels has been on its highest terror alert ever since.

The gunman is believed to be a man of Tunisian origin who was in Belgium illegally, after his asylum application was rejected in 2020.

He posted a video online saying he had killed people in the name of God and the prosecutor's office believes he was inspired by the Islamic State group.

Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden told Flemish public broadcaster VRT that the automatic weapon found on him was the same as the one used in Monday's attack.

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, called Monday's shooting "a harrowing act of terrorism" in a press conference on Tuesday, and prosecutors said the likely motive were the victims' nationality.

Sweden's foreign ministry sent a text message to citizens in Belgium telling them to be "vigilant".

They were also asked not to be overt with their nationality, public broadcaster SVT reported.

Mr De Croo said: "Perpetrators, they try to instil fear, distrust and division in our free societies. Terrorism. Terrorists must understand that they will never succeed in their intent."

The attack began at 19:00 on Monday (17:00 GMT), when a man opened fire in the north of the city centre.

Videos shared online showed a man on a scooter, dressed in an orange fluorescent jacket, pull up and start shooting passers-by.

He then chases people into the hallway of an apartment building to gun them down. Four gunshots can be heard.

The perpetrator shot three people of Swedish nationality, killing two of them.

A witness who spoke to Belgium's LN24 channel described his shock, saying he froze. "I didn't move. It was a man who came, pushed me, told me to stop running if I wanted to stay alive."

Shortly after the attack, the gunman filmed himself admitting to the killings.

An overnight manhunt followed and the threat level for the capital was raised to four. France also stepped up security measures at the Belgian border.

The Euro 2024 match where Belgium was playing Sweden was stopped before half-time. Some 35,000 supporters had to wait for hours in the King Baudouin Stadium before they could be evacuated.

A major manhunt was launched, with a search carried out in Schaerbeek, at the address where the suspect was staying.

Officials said police opened fire at the suspect at a café near his accommodation.

The 45-year-old man was shot in the chest and treated in intensive care. He died in hospital from his wounds.

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