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The taxi driver was supposed to drive Swedish fans to a football match, but ended up in the middle of a terrorist attack.
Now he talks about the act in an interview with Belgian RTL, which has also been published on TV4.
– I thought someone threw a stone at my car, he says.
Two Swedes died and one was injured when terrorist Abdesalem Lassoued opened fire on a taxi in Brussels.
Now the taxi driver tells Belgian RTL about the crime. The interview has also been published on TV4.
– I heard some bangs in the right window of my car. The window was smashed. I thought that maybe I had driven in a way that made someone angry, and that they threw rocks at my car.
When he saw Lassoued in an orange jacket on the moped, he understood that there were bullets, that they were under fire. The shooter started chasing one of the Swedes, and the taxi driver hid in the car.
– I was in shock. Many thoughts swirled in my head: My family, should I die now? What happened, why did he shoot?
“They were happy to see the match”
Just ten minutes earlier, the taxi driver had picked up the three Swedes, whom he describes as nice. He knew a little Swedish, and they chatted with each other.
– It pleased them because I could say two or three words in Swedish. The rest of the journey we spoke Swedish. I remember they were excited to see the game, but unfortunately they never got where they were going.
Since the attack, he has found it difficult to drive a taxi. Now, among other things, the union and colleagues have organized a fundraiser for his family.
– This has been difficult for my family. Very difficult.
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Swedish scarf and flowers at a memorial site in Brussels.
1 / 2Photo: Krister Hansson
More arrested this weekend
This weekend, another man was arrested who is suspected of having connections to the crime. According to a statement from Spanish police, the man must have connections to Lassoued.
Previously arrested, two men have been arrested in Paris who are suspected of being linked to the crime, and another man was arrested who was to be questioned about the weapon used in the attack.
The terrorist Abdesalem Lassoued was shot the day after the crime in a cafe a few kilometers from the place where he shot dead the two Swedes.