(UnitedHeadlines.com) – Two people are dead after an Oct. 15 shooting in Belgium before a soccer match between Sweden and Belgium.
According to authorities, the two Swedish victims had been at a private party in Brussels where they were watching a soccer match. Video footage then shows a man on a scooter wearing a fluorescent orange vest following the two men, shooting at them, and then chasing them into a building while continuing to fire the gun. The suspect then fled the scene prompting a manhunt that led to a suspension of the game at halftime. As a precaution, the 35,000 fans at the stadium were forced to stay inside for two hours until a message stating “Fans, you can leave the stadium calmly” was displayed on the screen in the stadium.
On Oct. 16, police located and killed a suspected Tunisian extremist who was believed to be responsible for the Oct. 15 shooting. Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden stated a gun that was believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered by police. The 45-year-old man had been living illegally in Belgium as he was denied asylum in 2019, according to Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne. He was known to police and had been suspected of being involved with human trafficking.
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo stated that three men went to a soccer party, with two of them losing “their lives in a brutal terrorist attack.” The third victim is hospitalized with “severe injuries.”
According to Federal Prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw, the suspect posted a video in which he claimed he killed three Swedish people. In the video, the suspect allegedly mentioned the Quran.
The attack prompted the terror alert to be raised in Brussels to level 4, the highest on Belgium’s scale. Security in Brussels, especially in areas that are linked to the Swedish community, was also increased following the attack. Prosecutors stated there was no evidence the attack was linked to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
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