A man suspected of carrying out a shooting before a football match in Brussels has been shot by the police. Belgium’s interior minister, Annelis Verlinden, confirmed that the automatic rifle found near the person who was shot was the same weapon used in the fatal shootings.
Reports from Belgian media initially suggested that the person shot in a cafe in the Schaerbeek area of the city was the suspected attacker, identified as Abdesalem L. However, a prosecutor later expressed uncertainty about whether the person shot was the suspect.
Mayor of Brussels Phillippe Close stated that “it would appear that the suspect has been neutralized,” adding that he did not know the suspect’s condition but acknowledged that police had to “use force” during the arrest.
The fatal shootings took place on Monday night, leading to the abandonment of Belgium’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Sweden at half-time. The two individuals killed were Swedish, and a third person was injured in the attack.
In response to the shootings, the terror alert in Brussels was raised to the highest level, resulting in an increased police presence, and residents were advised to be extra vigilant and avoid unnecessary travel.
The incident occurred approximately three miles (5 km) from the 50,000-seat King Baudouin Stadium shortly after 7 pm local time, just 45 minutes before kick-off.
Following the shootings, a man claiming to be the gunman appeared on social media in a video identifying himself as a member of Islamic State (IS) and a “fighter for Allah.” He stated that the attack was carried out in “revenge in the name of Muslims.”
Witnesses reported hearing the gunman shout “Allahu Akbar” (God is great in Arabic) before the shots were fired. An unverified video, reportedly depicting the incident, showed a gunman in a fluorescent orange jacket and white helmet chasing a man into a building before shooting at him.
