Belgium terror attack: Two killed ahead of soccer game

October 17, 2023 03:49 AM

Two people were killed in a shooting in Brussels, Belgium, on Monday that authorities described as a terrorist attack ahead of a soccer match between Belgium and Sweden.

Videos shared online showed a man in the capital’s city center pulling up on a scooter, shooting a large weapon at civilians, and chasing them into a building to continue firing the gun. Both of the people killed were Swedish soccer fans from the Nordic nation.

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Belgium Shooting — Police patrol outside the King Baudouin Stadium, after a match between Belgium and Sweden was suspended, after a shooting in the center of Brussels, Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. Belgian authorities raised the terror alert to its highest level in the capital late Monday after the fatal shooting of two Swedes in Brussels that Prime Minister Alexander De Croo linked to terrorism. The gunman remained at large. (AP Photo/Sylvain Plazy)

The suspect was killed by police on Tuesday, and the weapon believed to have been used by the man was recovered, Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden said, per the Associated Press. The suspected shooter was a 45-year-old Tunisian extremist known to police who was reportedly living in Belgium illegally.

The terrorist attack forced the suspension at halftime of the Belgium-Sweden soccer game at the nearby Belgian national stadium, in which 35,000 fans in attendance were forced to stay inside as a precaution while law enforcement searched for the killer.

The country raised its security alert status to its highest level after the shooting, particularly for Swedish people and institutions, as the suspect remained at large.

Belgian prosecutors said there were no signs the shooting was related to the war between Israel and Hamas, which has ignited international tensions.

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“Belgium sends its sincere condolences to the people of Sweden. This terrorist attack shakes the foundations of our peaceful societies,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on social media. “We offer our unwavering solidarity in the face of this blind hatred. We will counter terrorism together with even greater determination.”

Shootings and attacks with deadly weapons hit a new record last year in Brussels, law enforcement sources told the Brussels Times. “This record will only last a year because the violence is increasing,” a police official warned.