Two Swedes were killed when a self-proclaimed ISIS supporter opened fire on soccer fans in Brussels. We gathered the information about the blood test.
On Monday evening at 19:15 in the Belgian capital, Brussels, several shots were fired at Swedish football supporters. Two people sitting in the taxi died. According to the authorities, both were Swedish. In addition, one Swede was wounded.
The shooting took place in the city center a few kilometers from the stadium where the football match between Sweden and Belgium was played yesterday. The Molenbeek area begins quite close to the shooting location, certain parts of which are heavily populated by immigrants.
What do we know about the author?
The shooter reportedly drove to the scene on a scooter and fired with an automatic weapon. According to media reports, the man suspected of being the shooter is a 45-year-old man of Tunisian background Abdesalem L. According to the authorities, he had applied for asylum in Belgium in 2019 and has been staying in the country illegally.
After the act, he posted a video on social media saying “Allahu akbar”, which means that the god of Islam is the greatest. He says he just shot “three Swedes”. In the video, the man swears allegiance to the extremist Islamic terrorist organization Isis.
The person suspected of the shooting was found on Tuesday morning in a cafe in Brussels. The police shot a person suspected of a terrorist act. Belgian Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden says Belgian media for VRT, that the suspect died on the way to the hospital. An automatic rifle was found near the person in question, which authorities say is the same weapon used in the shooting of the Swedish soccer fans.
What was the motive for the act?
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croon and according to the country’s prosecuting authorities, the motive for the act was to kill Swedes. According to media reports, the shot were wearing Swedish football team shirts, so it was easy for the shooter to recognize them as Swedes. According to the authorities, the shooter had followed his victims. The authorities are investigating the incident as a suspected act of terrorism.
The desecrations of the Muslim holy book, the Koran, that have taken place in Sweden in recent months, including by burning, have aroused widespread anger towards Sweden in many Muslim countries. According to experts, the cycle of violence between Hamas and Israel may also have motivated the shooter.
How has the incident been reacted to?
After a suspected terrorist attack against Swedes, the football match between Sweden and Belgium was suspended. The Swedes left the football stadium under heavy police guard. According to media reports, the Swedes took off their supporter shirts and accessories that could easily identify them as Swedes.
The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent a text message to all Swedes in Belgium, urging them to be careful. On Tuesday, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged all Swedes abroad to be more careful than usual.
Because of what happened, Belgium has raised the terror threat level in Brussels to the highest level.
– Terrorism will never defeat us, Belgian Prime Minister De Croon said.
Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson has said Swedish authorities are working together with Belgian authorities to investigate the incident and prevent further acts of violence.
According to the Swedish security police Säpo, it is an extremely serious case, but there is no intention to raise the terrorist threat level in Sweden. In Sweden, the terrorist threat level was already raised to the second highest two months ago, from level three to level four.
Has been used as a source of Le Soir magazine, Swedish television’s SVT, of Swedish Radio SR, of Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet newspaper, Aftonbladet magazine and Expressen magazine news.
Sources: Reuters, AFP, AP, STT