Brussels shooting live: Swedes abroad warned of terror attacks after country becomes ‘target among jihadists’
Swedish PM said Monday night’s attack in Brussels was “aimed at Sweden and Swedish citizens”.
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Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called on the European Union to bolster border controls and internal security after a gunman killed two Swedes in Brussels on Monday.
A 45-year-old Tunisian terror suspect opened fire and killed two Swedish football fans. He died on Tuesday after being shot by police in a cafe.
Footage shared online showed a man dressed in an orange jacket unloading several shots, using a large weapon. The bearded man was reportedly seen leaving the crime scene on a scooter.
After the shooting suspect Abdesalem Lassoued posted a video on Facebook about the killings, claiming he was a member of Islamic State (IS) and had killed “three Swedes so far”.
“All indications are that this is a terror attack aimed at Sweden and Swedish citizens only due to them being Swedish,” Kristersson told a news conference.
Sweden raised its terror alert to its second-highest level in August after Koran burnings and other acts in Sweden against Islam’s holiest text outraged Muslims and the government warned that the country had become a priority target among jihadists.
Sweden’s embassies urged nationals to exercise increased vigilance abroad while Swedes at home voiced concerns about safety.
Watch: Moment gunman opens fire killing two people in Brussels
Two Swedish nationals were shot dead and a third one was wounded in central Brussels on Monday night and a man who identified himself as a member of the Islamic State claimed responsibility in a video posted online.
The suspect 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.
Watch: Suspected Brussels attack gunman filmed moments before police shot him in café
A suspected gunman who allegedly shot and killed two Swedes in Brussels was caught on CCTV just moments before he was shot by police in a nearby cafe.
Footage shared online showed a man dressed in an orange jacket unloading several shots, using a large weapon. The bearded man was reportedly seen leaving the crime scene on a scooter.
Suspected Brussels attack gunman filmed moments before police shot him in café
A suspected gunman who allegedly shot and killed two Swedes in Brussels was caught on CCTV just moments before he was shot by police in a nearby cafe. A man opened fire in the city centre on Tuesday evening, shooting two people dead. Footage shared online showed a man dressed in an orange jacket unloading several shots, using a large weapon. The bearded man was reportedly seen leaving the crime scene on a scooter. The suspected assailant was caught on camera, just moments before he is believed to have been shot in a cafe in the Schaerbeek neighborhood, Belgian media reported on Tuesday.
LIVE: Police search property after Brussels gunman arrested
Watch live as police search property after gunman was arrested in Brussels.
Terror suspect dies in hospital from wounds
Belgian police on Tuesday shot and wounded a 45-year-old Tunisian suspected of killing two Swedish football fans in Brussels, Belgian media said.
The man was shot by police in a cafe on Tuesday and died in hospital from his wounds, media said.
“The perpetrator of the Brussels terrorist attack was identified and has died,” Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden told POLITICO. “Our thanks to the intelligence and security services and the public prosecutor’s office for their quick and decisive action last night and this morning.”
Two Swedish nationals were shot dead and a third one was wounded in central Brussels on Monday night and a man who identified himself as a member of the Islamic State claimed responsibility in a video posted online.
The suspect 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.
“The weapon with which the attacks were committed has been found this morning where the man was apprehended in (the Brussels borough of) Schaerbeek. That makes the likelihood that the perpetrator has been caught bigger,” Verlinden told VRT broadcaster.
“We are checking fingerprints to be 100% sure.”
Brussels shooter dead, local media say
The perpetrator of Monday’s lethal attacks in Brussels is dead, Belgian public broadcaster RTBF said on Tuesday.
The suspected assailant who shot to death two Swedish nationals and wounded a third person in central Brussels on Monday night was shot in a cafe in the Schaerbeek neighborhood of the Belgian capital, Belgian media reported on Tuesday.
Earlier, it was reported that the man was in intensive care in hospital.
Authorities confirm terror suspect shot by police
Belgian police on Tuesday shot and wounded a 45-year-old Tunisian who killed two Swedish citizens in Brussels on Monday, local broadcaster RTBF radio said on its website.
Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden said earlier the wounded man was suspected of being the gunman.
“The weapon with which the attacks were committed has been found this morning where the man was apprehended in Schaerbeek. That makes the likelihood that the perpetrator has been caught bigger,” Verlinden told VRT broadcaster.
“We are checking fingerprints to be 100% sure.”
She said the man was in intensive care in hospital. Schaerbeek is on the border of Brussels.
The Belgian capital’s mayor Philippe Close told BFM TV: “It seems indeed the suspect has been neutralised.”
Terrorist attacks “shakes the foundations” of peaceful society - Belgian PM
Belgian’s Prime Minister has offered “unwavering solidarity”, after two Swedes were shot dead in Brussels.
Alexander De Croo wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter that terrorist attacks shake “the foundations of our peaceful societies”.
Police and forensic officers man the scene of the shooting in Brussels
Pictures: Brussels attack
Belgium was searching on Tuesday for a 45-year-old Tunisian gunman who killed two Swedish citizens and wounded a third on Monday in Brussels in what Prime Minister Alexander De Croo called a brutal terrorist attack.
Belgian media said the attacker was found and shot in a cafe in the Belgian capital, but prosecutors said they were awaiting confirmation that it was the suspect.
Belgium was hosting Sweden in a Euro 2024 qualifying match on Monday evening. The match was abandoned at halftime.
The country has raised the security alert status of its capital city to the highest level, with increased police presence, particularly for Swedish people and institutions, and warned the public to be extra vigilant and avoid unnecessary travel.
suspect ‘shot in cafe'
The suspected assailant who shot to death two Swedish nationals and wounded a third person in central Brussels on Monday night was shot in a cafe in the Schaerbeek neighborhood of the Belgian capital, Belgian media reported on Tuesday.
Belgium’s federal prosecution office confirmed the information, telling Reuters it was still uncertain if the person shot is indeed the assailant.
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