BRUSSELS – Two Swedish nationals were shot dead and a third wounded in central Brussels on Monday night. A man who identified himself as a member of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack in a video posted online.
The suspected assailant fled the scene after the shooting as a football match between Belgium and Sweden was about to start, triggering a massive manhunt and prompting Belgium to raise its terror alert to the highest level.
A Belgian federal prosecutor said there was no evidence that the attacker, who was still on the loose, had any link to the recent renewed conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants.
The likely motive for the attack was the Swedish nationality of the victims, the prosecutor said.
Sweden in August raised its terror alert to the second-highest level, warning of an increase in threats against Swedish interests abroad, after Quran burnings and other acts in Sweden against Islam’s holiest text outraged Muslims and triggered threats from militants.
The suspected assailant, calling himself Abdesalem Al Guilani, claimed in a video on social media that he was a fighter for Allah.
The federal prosecutor said the third victim, who was wounded, but whose injuries were not life-threatening, was a taxi driver.
The prosecutor called on residents in Brussels to stay indoors until the threat was over. European Commission staff were similarly advised to stay indoors.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo confirmed on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the victims were Swedish.
“I have just offered my sincere condolences to the Swedish Prime Minister (Ulf Kristersson) following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels,” Mr De Croo said.
“Our thoughts are with the families and friends who lost their loved ones. As close partners, the fight against terrorism is a joint one.”
Sweden’s Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told Reuters that the government was working intensively with the Belgian authorities to get more information about what happened.
All Swedes in Belgium will receive a text message sent to their phones, urging them to be vigilant and to follow instructions from the Belgian authorities, Mr Kristersson said.
Belgium’s interior minister said the investigation was in the hands of a federal prosecutor because of “a possible terrorist motive”.
One Belgian newspaper said it was likely that the victims were two football supporters.
Belgium was hosting Sweden in a Euro 2024 qualifying match on Monday evening. The match was suspended at half-time due to security reasons.
The shooting comes at a time of heightened security concerns in some European countries linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
France is deploying 7,000 extra troops on its streets after a teacher was fatally stabbed last Friday in an attack that French President Emmanuel Macron condemned as “barbaric Islamic terrorism”.
Video footage posted on news agency Het Laatste Nieuws’ website shows a man in an orange jacket sitting on a scooter at a street intersection with a rifle. He first fires two shots, then three more, runs into a building, fires two more shots, and before leaving, takes a few steps back and shoots one more time.
One Belgium newspaper cited a witness as saying that the shooter shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) before the shots were fired.
In a video message recorded by the self-described perpetrator, he introduced himself as a “fighter for Allah” and said he had “killed three Swedes so far”.
He also asked for forgiveness in the video, saying: “Those to whom I have done something wrong, may they forgive me. And I forgive everyone.”
France is tightening controls at the border with Belgium after the deadly attack in Brussels, Belgian media said.
Belgium’s crisis centre warned the public not to make any unnecessary trips in the capital. REUTERS
