Tuesday, October 17, 2023 – Belgian police have arrested a suspected gunman following an intensive manhunt for an ISIS fanatic who shot dead two Swedish football fans in Brussels in a terror attack last night, October 16.
Armed officers found suspect Abdesalem Lassoued, 45, inside a café in the Brussels neighbourhood of Schaerbeek at 8am and ‘opened fire’ before arresting him, the Belgian prosecutors’ office said.
An ambulance was later seen taking a wounded Lassoued to hospital, while his scooter he is said to have used to flee the terror attack was towed away. The automatic rifle that Lassoued had used to kill the two Swedish football fans last night was also recovered.
Prime Minister Alexander de Croo earlier said the suspect was a man of Tunisian origin who had been living in the country illegally.
Lassoued opened fire on a group of Swedish football fans in a taxi last night as they passed through Boulevard d’Ypres just a few minutes north of the city’s famous Grand Plaza ahead of Belgium’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Sweden.
Several people fled into an apartment building after hearing the gunshots, but Lassoued followed them and opened fire again in the entrance hall in an attack he said was to avenge the killing of a six-year-old US-Palestinian boy.
‘The terrorist attack that happened yesterday was committed with total cowardice, the attacker chose as a target two Swedish football fans,’ de Croo told a news conference, adding that a third person was seriously wounded.
Sweden expressed its devastation over the shooting which occurred just before a Belgium-Sweden football match Monday evening and European leaders were quick to offer their solidarity.
Following the incident the alleged attacker used the name ‘Slayem Slouma’ to boast about the two murders on Facebook, adding he sought to avenge the killing of a six-year-old US-Palestinian boy.
Speaking in Arabic in the video, Lassoued celebrated the slaughter, and said he ‘was inspired by the Islamic State’ terror group, prosecutors said.
In response to the attack, Belgian authorities raised the terror alert for Brussels to level four or ‘very serious’ – the highest – and level three nationally.
Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborn said Lassoued, an asylum seeker, was convicted in Tunisia ‘for common law offences’, but was not reported for a terrorist risk.
Prosecutors said the attacker in his video had indicated the Swedish nationality of his victims was a motivation, but there appeared to be no links with the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East.
‘Devastated by the news of two Swedish football supporters murdered in Brussels tonight and a third person being seriously wounded. All my thoughts are with their families and loved ones,’ Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said.
‘Swedish authorities work closely with their Belgian partners to find the murderer,’ he added on social media.
The Swedish victims were wearing their team’s jerseys and were believed to be on their way to a match at King Baudouin Stadium, where Sweden were playing Belgium. A third person is seriously injured.
Officers provided extra protection for Swedish nationals at the game, escorting Sweden’s national players directly to the airport to leave safely, Belgium’s football association CEO told the RTBF channel.
‘I am terribly sad. We agreed 100 percent not to play the second half because of the conditions and out of respect for the victims and their families,’ said Sweden coach Janne Andersson, quoted by the Swedish news agency TT.
The shooting took place in the city centre’s northern districts. Police had been alerted to the incident after 7:00 pm local time (1700 GMT).
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