Two Swedes were killed and a third person was injured in the shooting in Brussels on Monday evening.
The suspected perpetrator is still being hunted – and the Belgian authorities are investigating the incident as an act of terrorism.
– The perpetrator was specifically looking for Swedish supporters who were in Brussels to attend the match, says the country’s Prime Minister Alexander de Croo.
Two people died and a third was seriously injured after a man opened fire with an automatic weapon at the Saincte Lette square in central Brussels ahead of the European Championship qualifier between Belgium and Sweden.
Two of the people were Swedes, according to Belgian authorities. The incident is now being investigated as a suspected act of terrorism.
On Tuesday morning, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo held a press conference about the suspected terrorist act.
– During last night three people left for what was supposed to be a wonderful football party. Two of them lost their lives in a brutal terrorist attack, he says.
– It was a cowardly terrorist attack. The perpetrator was specifically looking for Swedish supporters who were in Brussels to attend the match.
The match had to be interrupted at halftime after players and managers heard the news about the fatal shooting. It took until late at night before the Swedish supporters on site were allowed to leave the arena.
– We will not tell the supporters to go home until we were sure that it could be done safely, says the Prime Minister.