17th October, 2023
The police in Belgium’s capital Brussel have shot dead the gunman suspected to have killed two Swedish nationals on Monday.
The Euro 2024 match between Belgium and Sweden was abandoned at half time for security reason because of the attack which occurred before the match.
The match was 1-1 when it was abandoned. Security operatives have to escort Sweden players out of the stadium.
Also, 400 Sweden fans slept in a hotel on Monday night under police protection as a result of the killing being treated by the Belgian authority as terrorism.
But on Tuesday, the Belgian police said a 45-year-old Tunisian gunman suspected of killing two Swedish football fans in Brussels was killed.
The Tunisian by the name, Abdesalem, was shot in the chest and treated in intensive care. He died in hospital from his wounds.
The gunman is believed to be in Belgium illegally, after his asylum application was rejected in 2020.
He was shot by police in a cafe, Belgium authorities said, while Sweden’s prime minister called for stronger EU border security.
According to Reuters, the attacker, who identified himself as a member of Islamic State and claimed responsibility in a video posted online, is suspected of killing two Swedish nationals and wounding a third in central Brussels on Monday night.
Belgium’s Interior Minister, Annelies Verlinden, in a tweet on X on Tuesday said the perpetrator of the terrorist attack had been identified and is now dead.
“The perpetrator of the terrorist attack in Brussels has been identified and died. We thank the intelligence and security services as well as the prosecution for their rapid and decisive intervention last night and this morning,” she tweeted.
Belgium’s Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, in a tweet had sent condolences to the people of Sweden over the attach.
“This terrorist attack shakes the foundations of our peaceful societies. We offer our unwavering solidarity in the face of this blind hatred. We will counter terrorism together with even greater determination,” he tweeted on X.
He added: “Our priority goes to the families of the victims to make sure they get the appropriate support. We are now making sure the Swedish soccer fans can travel back home safely.”
The deadly shooting follows a spate of Quran-burning protests in Sweden and Denmark that has caused angry demonstrations in Muslim-majority countries, heightened security fears and left both Scandinavian nations questioning whether they need to review their liberal laws on freedom of speech, reports the CNN.