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Rabat – Belgian authorities have successfully neutralized the suspect responsible for a deadly attack on two Swedish nationals in Brussels. The assailant, identified as a 45-year-old man named Abdesalem, was shot by police officers in a Schaerbeek neighborhood café.
The incident occurred just kilometers away from a Euro 2024 football qualifier match between Belgium and Sweden, leaving the city on high alert.
On the evening of the attack, which took place on Boulevard d’Ypres, panic and chaos ensued as the assailant unleashed a hail of bullets from an automatic rifle, claiming the lives of two Swedes and injuring a third. The incident prompted a massive security response and triggered the highest terror alert in Brussels.
Abdesalem, believed to be of Tunisian origin, had been residing in Belgium illegally after his asylum application was rejected in 2020. In a disturbing twist, he had posted a video online claiming to have committed the act in the name of God, with authorities suspecting he may have been influenced by the ideology of the Islamic State group.
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Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden disclosed that the weapon used in the attack matched the one recovered from the suspect, further solidifying his connection to the horrific incident.
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, addressing the nation in a press conference, unequivocally labeled the attack as “a harrowing act of terrorism” while highlighting the likely motive behind it: the nationality of the victims.
Alarmed by the incident, Sweden’s foreign ministry issued a cautionary text message to its citizens in Belgium, urging them to remain vigilant and avoid drawing attention to their nationality.
The attack unfolded on Monday and it prompted France to bolster security measures at its border with Belgium. The Euro 2024 football match, which pitted Belgium against Sweden, was halted before halftime, leaving 35,000 fans stranded in the King Baudouin Stadium for hours before they could be safely evacuated.
