The perpetrator is on the run and known to the police: This is what we know about the attack in Brussels Why the Aboriginal referendum in Australia failed

Brussels is in shock after the fatal shooting of two people. The perpetrator has been identified, but is still on the run.

Early Tuesday morning, government representatives, including Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, wanted to comment on the attack. The motives for the crime are still unclear. Some media reported that the shooting could have an Islamist background.

That happened:

That happened

According to the Belga news agency in Brussels, an armed man got off a scooter in the north of the city center in the early evening and fired shots into the street. When several people fled into the entrance of a house, he allegedly chased and shot them. Police did not initially confirm this information. According to Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, the victims were two Swedes. According to the public prosecutor, a third victim, a taxi driver, is now out of danger.

The suspected perpetrator is still on the run.

Because the threat level for Brussels has been upgraded to the highest level, there will now be an increased police presence, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said early Tuesday morning. The highest level of terror was declared for the Belgian capital on Monday evening. Due to a “potential terrorist motive”, the federal prosecutor’s office took over the investigation.

Increased security measures would also be implemented in a number of sensitive locations, particularly those associated with the Swedish community. Controls have also been tightened in the rest of the country. De Croo called on everyone in Brussels to be more vigilant. The National Security Council will meet in the afternoon.

Here’s what we know about the perpetrator

The investigation is still ongoing, but it can already be said that it concerns a 45-year-old Tunisian who applied for asylum in Belgium in November 2019, Justice Minister Vincent van Quickenborne said early Tuesday morning. The police noticed him in connection with human trafficking, illegal residence and endangering state security.

In July 2016, a foreign police service passed on unconfirmed information that the man had a radical profile and wanted to go to jihad in a conflict area, Van Quickenborne said. There is plenty of such information. It was checked with no results. “Moreover, as far as our services are aware, there was no concrete evidence of radicalization.”

According to the Federal Public Prosecution Service, a message was shared on social networks from a person claiming to be the attacker and to be inspired by the terrorist organization Islamic State. A video is also being shared online that purports to show the crime. In addition, numerous other videos purporting to show the perpetrator, a man in an orange jacket, fleeing on a motorcycle.

Belga news agency quoted a spokesperson for the federal prosecutor’s office as saying that the Swedish nationality of the victims could also be a motivation for the crime. This year, people in Sweden and later Denmark burned copies of the Koran several times, sparking angry reactions among Muslims. All this caused diplomatic problems for the Scandinavian countries.

Abolition of the European Championship qualifier

The two Swedes died about five kilometers away from the Brussels football stadium, where the national teams of Belgium and Sweden played against each other in a European Championship qualifier. The game was canceled. News of the deaths of the two Swedes spread during halftime. According to the Swedish TV channel SVT, the players of the Swedish national team subsequently decided not to continue the match. The Belgian national players would have participated. For safety reasons, several thousand people initially had to remain in the Brussels football stadium until they could be evacuated.

According to social media reports, the two dead were fans of the Swedish national team. However, this has not yet been officially confirmed.

Not the first attack

It is not the first time that people have fallen victim to an attack in Brussels. The trial into the 2016 Brussels terrorist attacks only ended about four weeks ago. Three suicide bombers from the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization detonated bombs at Zaventem Airport in Brussels and at a metro station in the heart of the Belgian capital. They killed more than 30 people and injured 340. Relatives were also stunned at the time by media reports that some of the suspects had been monitored by Belgian security authorities before the attacks – and were later still able to carry out their bloody acts.

The reactions

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called on his compatriots in Belgium to be careful and vigilant. De Croo expressed his sincere condolences to Kristersson: “As close partners, the fight against terrorism is a common struggle.” However, the spokesperson for the Federal Public Prosecution Service made it clear that there is so far no connection between the attack and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke of a “cowardly attack” and offered her condolences to the Swedish people. The Belgian President of the EU Council, Charles Michel, wrote about X: “The heart of Europe is being struck by violence. My condolences go out to the families of the victims of the deadly attack in the center of Brussels.” The Belgian Royal Palace was “shocked” and expressed its “support for the security forces who are doing everything they can to find the perpetrator of the crimes.” suits,” it said on X.

The Council of Muslims in Belgium condemned the attack. He called on authorities to “show the utmost determination to protect our national community and shed light on the matter as soon as possible.” (lacquer/sda/dpa)