Two Swedish soccer fans were killed in a shooting in downtown Brussels on Monday night, Belgian police said. French President Emmanuel Macron called the attack an Islamist terrorist attack, the Belgian Prime Minister asked the people of Brussels to be vigilant.
Before the Belgian-Swedish soccer match in Brussels, an armed assailant killed two Swedish nationals, who were, according to Belgian press reports, soccer fans, about five kilometers from the stadium. At 1-1, the match was interrupted during the break at the request of the Swedish national team, the Belgians accepted the decision.
Amateur footage appeared in the local press, in which a man dressed in orange and arriving on an electric scooter can be seen firing several shots from his rifle near a station.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo expressed his sincere condolences to the Swedish Prime Minister on the social portal X and confirmed that the victims were Swedish citizens. In his post, he stated that their common goal is the fight against terrorism.
According to the Belgian crisis center
In Brussels, the terror alert was raised to the highest level - four.
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French President Emmanuel Macron says Brussels has been hit by an Islamist terrorist attack.
He continued by saying that "our Europe has been turned upside down, and the fact that we talk about it together here shows who we are: Europeans living from heart, language, emotions, culture and future," he added .
A Belgian newspaper, citing eyewitnesses, reported that the perpetrator said Allahu Akbar before firing the shots.
A video recording of the alleged perpetrator has also appeared on the Internet.
“My name is Abdesalem Al Guilani and I am a warrior of Allah. I am from the Islamic State (Jihadist organization). We love those who love us and hate those who hate us. We live and die for our religion. Alhamdulillah. Your brothers took revenge in the name of Muslims. I have killed three Swedes so far. Alhamdulillah. Yes, three Swedes," the man said on the recording.
Police spokeswoman Ilse Vande Keere said earlier that authorities quickly arrived at the scene and immediately sealed off the area. He did not give details about the circumstances of the shooting.
According to the Belgian news agency, no arrests have been made in the case so far.
Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden announced that a manhunt had been launched to catch the perpetrator.
The authorities in several European countries are on high alert due to the events in Israel. At the same time, several acts of violence related to international drug trafficking have recently occurred in the Belgian capital.
Cívilek.info / MTI
Cover image: X
