The attacker had taken responsibility for the terrorist act and identified himself as a member of Islamic State
A 45-year-old Tunisian suspected of killing two Swedish fans in Brussels, the Belgian capital, died on Tuesday (17) after being shot by police in a café, Belgian authorities said, while Sweden’s prime minister called for more security at the European Union’s borders.
The attacker, who identified himself as a member of Islamic State and claimed responsibility for the terrorist act in a video posted on social media, is also suspected of injuring a third person in the center of Brussels on Monday night (16).
“The perpetrator of the terrorist attack in Brussels has been identified and killed,” published Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden on X (formerly Twitter), hours after Prime Minister Alexander De Croo called the attack a brutal “terrorist attack”.
The shooting came at a time of heightened security concerns in some European countries linked to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, although a Belgian federal prosecutor said there was no evidence that the attacker had any link to the new conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants.
In August, Sweden raised its terrorism alert to the second highest level and warned of increased threats against Swedes at home and abroad, after the burning of the Koran outraged Muslims and provoked threats from jihadists.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a press conference on Tuesday that security must be tightened and that Sweden and the EU need better border controls.
“I understand that many Swedes are afraid and angry,” Kristersson said, adding: “This is a time for more security, we cannot be naive.”
The suspect in the attack, who unsuccessfully sought asylum in Belgium in November 2019 and was living in the country illegally, was known to Belgian police in connection with people smuggling, Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne said on Tuesday.
In a video on social media, the alleged gunman called himself Abdesalem Al Guilani.
Verlinden, from Belgium, previously said that he could not rule out the possibility that he had accomplices.
The gunman fled the scene after the attack on Monday, just as a soccer match between Belgium and Sweden was about to start, triggering a massive manhunt and prompting Belgium to raise the terror alert in the capital to the highest level.
“The perpetrator was specifically targeting Swedish fans who were in Brussels to watch the soccer match. Two Swedish compatriots died. A third person is recovering from serious injuries,” said Croo.
Belgium was hosting Sweden in a qualifying match for Euro 2024. The game was stopped at half-time.
Belgium has been the target of several Islamist attacks in recent years, the deadliest being the 2016 attack on Brussels airport and the city’s metro, in which 32 people died.
Several of the Islamist gunmen who attacked Paris in a 2015 attack that killed 130 people were Belgian or lived in Brussels.