By Matthieu Demeestere
Brussels, Belgium — Brussels police arrested a suspected gunman accused of shooting dead two Swedish football fans in what Belgium’s prime minister condemned as an act of “terrorist madness”.
Officials said police opened fire and the suspect was “neutralised” during the arrest, which followed an intensive overnight manhunt in the Belgian capital for an assailant armed with an automatic rifle.
There were conflicting accounts of the suspect’s condition after his arrest which took place in the Schaerbeek district of central Brussels.
Prime Minister Alexander de Croo earlier said the detained man was of Tunisian origin and had been living in the country illegally. He added that someone claiming responsibility for the killings had posted on social media that he was inspired by the Islamic State extremist group.
“The terrorist attack that happened yesterday was committed with total cowardice, the attacker chose as a target two Swedish football fans,” de Croo told a news conference, adding that a third person — a taxi driver — was seriously wounded.
“Terrorism strikes indiscriminately,” he said. “It aims to sow fear, mistrust and division in our free societies. Terrorists must know that they will never achieve their goals.
“They will never make us bend. Their hatred and violence only prove their powerlessness.”
Sweden expressed its devastation over the shooting — which occurred just before a Belgium-Sweden football match Monday evening — and European leaders were quick to offer their solidarity.
Sweden has been at the centre of a bitter row this year with Muslim countries after multiple burnings of the Koran, Islam’s holy book.
The gunman wearing a hi-visibility orange jacket fled on a scooter and Belgian authorities raised the terror alert for Brussels to level four or “very serious” — the highest — and level three nationally.
Several Belgian media named the suspect as Abdesalem L, aged 45.
Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborn said the asylum seeker had been convicted “for common law offences” in Tunisia, but denied he was listed as a terrorist threat.
Prosecutors said the attacker in his video had indicated the Swedish nationality of his victims was a motivation, but there appeared to be no links with criticsm of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East.
“Devastated by the news of two Swedish football supporters murdered in Brussels tonight and a third person being seriously wounded. All my thoughts are with their families and loved ones,” Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said.
“Swedish authorities work closely with their Belgian partners to find the murderer,” he added, in a social media post.
Football match abandoned
As news spread of the killings, the Group F European qualifier match was abandoned at half-time and some 35,000 fans were evacuated from the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels.
Officers provided extra protection for Swedish nationals at the game, escorting Sweden’s national players directly to the airport to leave safely, Belgium’s football association CEO told the RTBF channel.
“I am terribly sad. We agreed 100 percent not to play the second half because of the conditions and out of respect for the victims and their families,” said Sweden coach Janne Andersson, quoted by the Swedish news agency TT.
The shooting took place in the city centre’s northern districts. Police had been alerted to the incident after 7:00 pm local time (1700 GMT).
In a video shared online by Flemish newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, the shooter is seen with an automatic weapon on his shoulder, fleeing on a scooter.
Four gunshots can be heard in the video.
A witness who spoke to LN24 channel described his shock during the incident.
“I stood there frozen, I didn’t move. I was shocked by what happened, even now I am still in shock. It was a man who came, pushed me, told me to stop running if I wanted to stay alive,” said the witness, who gave his name as Sulayman.
The Belgian royal palace said it was “shocked” by the shooting.
‘Despicable’
The president of the European Commission, which is based in Brussels, was quick to condemn the attack.
“My thoughts are with the families of the two victims of the despicable attack in Brussels,” Ursula von der Leyen posted on social media.
“Together, we stand united against terror,” she said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe was “shaken” by an “Islamist” attack in Brussels, while France’s interior minister had earlier given instructions to strengthen border controls with Belgium.
Belgium had already been the target of an attack claimed by IS extremists in March 2016, at Brussels’ main airport and on the metro system, which killed 32 people.
