Belgian Police Shoot Dead Suspect In ‘Terrorist Attack’ On Two Football Fans

Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden informed the Flemish public television VRT that the automatic rifle found on him was the identical one used in the attack on Monday.

Police and inspectors work in an area where a shooting took place in the center of Brussels, Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. Belgian police say that two people are dead in central Brussels after several shots were fired. (AP Photo/Nicolas Landemard)
Adoga Stephen
By Adoga Stephen - Editor-In-Chief
2 Min Read

The police in Brussels shot dead a gunman who killed two Swedish nationals on Monday evening.

Abdesalem Lassoued, 45, was killed in a café in the Schaerbeek district.

The automatic rifle attack on Monday killed two Swedes and injured a third.

The shooting took place in Boulevard d’Ypres, 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the stadium where Belgium was playing Sweden, in order to qualify for the Euro 2024 football tournament.

Since then, Brussels has been on high alert for terrorist attacks.

The gunman is thought to be a Tunisian guy who was in Belgium illegally after his asylum application was denied.

He released a video online in which he claimed to have slain people in the service of God, and the prosecutor believes he was influenced by the Islamic State Group.

Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden informed the Flemish public television VRT that the automatic rifle found on him was the identical one used in the attack on Monday.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo termed Monday’s shooting “a harrowing act of terrorism.”

The victims’ Swedish nationality, according to the prosecutor, was the most likely motive.

Mr De Croo said: “Perpetrators, they try to instil fear, distrust, and division in our free societies. Terrorism. Terrorists must understand that they will never succeed in their intent.”

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Stephen studied Mass Communication at the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu (now Lagos State University of Science and Technology), where he acquired requisite training for the practice of journalism. He loves the media, and his interest mostly lies in print medium, where his creative writing skill makes him a perfect fit.