The events occurred in the square Saintelette, in the northern neighborhoods of the capital. The perpetrator of the attack is fugitive.
The moment of the attack in Brussels
A video posted on the website of Het Laaste Niews newspaper showed a man wearing an orange jacket on a scooter at a crossroads with a rifle firing two shots and then three more, then running towards a building, firing two more shots, getting out, taking a few steps back again and shooting one more time.
The Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws said that it was likely that the victims were two football fans since the match between Belgium and Sweden for qualification for Euro 2024 was being played nearby. The match was suspended after the events.
The shooter claimed responsibility for the attack
A source close to the case confirmed the circulation on social networks of a video claiming responsibility for the double murder, in which a man speaks in Arabic.
“My name is Abdesalem Al Guilani and I am a fighter for Allah. I belong to the Islamic State (…) I have killed three Swedes so far, three Swedes, yes. Those to whom I have done something wrong, forgive me. And I forgive everyone. Salam Aleykoum,” said the man. So far the death of two people has been confirmed.
A spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutor’s office, contacted by AFP, said that an investigation had been launched, but did not comment for now on the motive for the attack. The federal prosecutor’s office, in charge of terrorism matters, began verifications into a possible terrorist motive.
The police were alerted shortly after 7:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. GMT). A security perimeter was installed.
At least two dead in the attack in Brussels
The Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander de Croo, confirmed on the social platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the victims were Swedish, but not their number. The aggressor, who called himself Abdesalem Al Guilani and he described himself as a combatant of Allah, he numbered the dead at three and not two.
“I have just offered my sincere condolences to the Swedish Prime Minister following tonight’s heartbreaking attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels,” de Croo said on X. “As close partners, the fight against terrorism is joint.”
Source: Ambito
