As Sweden’s prime minister urges tighter EU border security, Belgian police shot and killed a 45-year-old Tunisian gunman today who was suspected of murdering two Swedish football fans in Brussels yesterday, according to Belgian officials Reuters reported.
The assailant, Abdesalem Al Guilani, a self-professed Islamic State member who claimed credit for the attack in a video released online, was accused of killing two Swedish people and injuring a third on Monday night in downtown Brussels.
The shooter left the scene after the shooting just as the Euro 2024 qualifying match between Belgium and Sweden was about to begin, sparking a large manhunt and leading Belgium to elevate the terrorist alert in its capital to its highest level.
The accused attacker, who had unsuccessfully applied for asylum in Belgium in November 2019 and was residing there illegally, was known to Belgian authorities in connection with human trafficking, Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne said earlier today.
“The perpetrator of the terrorist attack in Brussels has been identified and has died,” Belgium’s Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden posted on X a few hours after Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo called Monday’s shooting a brutal “terrorist attack.”
De Croo said, “The perpetrator specifically targeted Swedish supporters who were in Brussels to attend a Red Devils soccer match. Two Swedish compatriots passed away. A third person is recovering from severe injuries.”
The crime occurred at a time when various European nations have been experiencing increased security worries related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. A Belgian federal prosecutor stated that there is no proof that the perpetrator was connected to the escalating war between Israel and Hamas.
After Koran burnings enraged Muslims and generated jihadist threats, Sweden increased its terrorist alert to the second-highest level in August and warned of an uptick in threats against Swedes at home and abroad.