The identity of the alleged perpetrator remains undisclosed, but he was apprehended by law enforcement in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. The manhunt was initiated after a chilling incident in which two Swedish men lost their lives on Monday night, as a man who professed to be inspired by the Islamic State extremist group carried out the attack.
Belgium’s Interior Minister, Annelies Verlinden, confirmed the identification and subsequent demise of the individual behind the terrorist act. She expressed gratitude to intelligence and security agencies and the public prosecutor’s office for their prompt and resolute actions during the night and the following morning, conveying her message through the social platform X.
During an interview with Belgian broadcaster VRT, Minister Verlinden also disclosed the recovery of the suspected murder weapon.
The dreadful event unfolded in the backdrop of an international soccer match in Brussels, featuring the national teams of Belgium and Sweden. The match was abandoned at halftime when news of the shootings surfaced.
As a consequence of the attack, Belgian authorities elevated the threat level for Brussels to the highest level, Level 4, and raised the general threat level for the entire country to Level 3. Nevertheless, prosecutors conveyed that there is no evidence connecting the incident to conflicts in the Middle East.
Sweden had previously heightened its terror alert to the second-highest level in August, following a series of Quran burnings by an Iraqi refugee residing in Sweden, which incited threats from Islamic extremist factions.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo offered his condolences to his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson. De Croo stated, “The man claimed to be inspired by the Islamic State. In the same statement, the Swedish nationality of the victims was mentioned as the possible motive for the attack.” He referred to video footage circulated on social media.
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One of these videos captures an individual in an orange jacket brandishing what appears to be a firearm on the street amidst the sound of gunfire. A second video depicts the assailant entering a building and seemingly discharging shots inside. A victim is observed falling to the ground, and the perpetrator appears to shoot the victim once more.
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De Croo emphasized, “Attackers seek to instill fear, mistrust, and division in our open society. However, terrorists must recognize that they will never succeed in this mission. They will never suppress our free society. Through their hatred and violence, they only reveal their impotence. Terrorism will never conquer us.”