A shooting in Brussels has left at least two people dead and authorities say the attack was connected to terrorism. The attack happened as Belgium was hosting Sweden for a major soccer match.
A gunman fatally shot two Swedes in Brussels late Monday, prompting authorities to halt a Sweden-Belgium soccer match nearby and place the capital on its highest terror alert level. The gunman remained at large.
The killings happened some 3 miles (5 kilometers) from a stadium where over 35,000 fans were watching a Belgium-Sweden soccer match, Belgium’s anti-terror center said. The match was suspended half way through.
“The population needs to be actively vigilant and avoid any unnecessary travel,” anti-terror center spokeswoman Laura Demullier said, adding that the top priority for authorities was to get the thousands of fans safely out of the King Baudouin Stadium.
The terror alert for the city was raised to level 4, which is the highest level. At least part of the attack was caught on video:
A Gunman in the Belgian Capital City of Brussels, who announced his Allegence to ISIS and stated his need to “Avenge Muslims” has reportedly Killed at least 2 Swedish Nationals and Injured many other Civilians with a Massive Manhunt currently underway by Belgian Police to find… pic.twitter.com/rhhzkfrgu9
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) October 16, 2023
After the attack the shooter got back on a scooter and fled the scene. He is still at large but posted a video claiming credit for killing three Swedes. He says he is a fighter from the Islamic state.
Here is what the Islamic terrorist from Brussels says in a video: “Islamic salute to Allah Akbar. I appeal to Abdesalem Al Guilani and I am a fighter for Allah. I’m from the Islamic State. We love those who love us and we hate those who hate us. We live by our religion and die by… pic.twitter.com/MsVEo9HqsP
— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) October 16, 2023
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The rest of the tweet above reads “We live by our religion and die by our religion. Al Hamdulah. Your brother was born in the name of Muslims. So far I have killed 3 Swedes Al Hamdoulelah. Those to whom I have written a check choose to forgive me. And I will forgive myself to the whole world. Salam Alaykoum.”
Because he hasn’t been caught yet, it’s unclear if this attack is over. There are other videos out there which appear to show the same guy in the orange shirt. This next one shows him from above, clearly carrying a rifle. The guy shooting the video is laughing about something but I’m not sure what he’s saying.
The 2nd one below shows him doing something on the sidewalk and then firing at other people in passing cars.
TV Natio world – Brussels: A new video shows the terrorist calmly reloading his Kalashnikov for several minutes. pic.twitter.com/PuavrEHxt5
— Louis Montpellier Natio (@Natio_1976) October 16, 2023
Authorities have said that a cab driver was injured but survived the attack. Maybe that’s the shooting seen above. And here he is driving through the streets shouting “Allahu Akbar”
— Louis Montpellier Natio (@Natio_1976) October 16, 2023
That seems to be all we know for now. I’ll update this later if I see any more information (such as the suspect getting arrested).
