Police have shot dead a suspected gunman who killed two people before an international football match in Brussels.
Belgium’s interior minister Annelies Verlinden told VRT radio “we have the good news that we found the individual” – but also said she could not rule out that he had had accomplices.
The weapon believed to have been used in the fatal shootings before Belgium‘s match with Sweden last night has been recovered, she said.
Federal prosecutors confirmed to Sky News the suspected attacker had died.
He has been named by Belgian media as Abdesalem L – a 45-year-old Tunisian national.
He was reportedly shot in a cafe during a police operation in the Schaerbeek area of the city on Tuesday morning.
“The perpetrator of the terrorist attack in Brussels has been identified and has died,” Ms Verlinden wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“We would like to thank the intelligence and security services, as well as the public prosecutor’s office, for their swift and decisive action last night and this morning.”
The fatal shootings on Monday evening caused Belgium’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Sweden to be abandoned at half-time.
Fans were also kept in the stadium as armed officers searched for the suspected attacker.
The two people killed were Swedish – and a third person was wounded in the attack.
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Moments before fatal Brussels shooting
The terror alert in Brussels has been raised to the highest level, with an increased police presence in force, and people have been warned to be extra vigilant and avoid any unnecessary travel.
The shootings took place about three miles (5km) from the 50,000-seater King Baudouin Stadium shortly after 7pm local time – around 45 minutes before kick-off.
Read more: What we know about Brussels shooting
The location of the fatal shootings and the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels
Shortly after, a man who claimed to be the gunman appeared on social media in a video in which he claimed to be a member of Islamic State (IS) and a “fighter for Allah”.
He also claimed he had carried out the attack in “revenge in the name of Muslims”.
One Belgium newspaper said a witness heard the gunman shout “Allahu Akbar” – “God is great” in Arabic – before the shots were fired.
Another video, reported to be of the incident, which has not been verified by Sky News, showed a gunman in a fluorescent orange jacket and a white helmet chasing a man into a building before shooting at him.
Armed police at the scene. Pic: AP
The suspect unsuccessfully sought asylum in Belgium in November 2019, justice minister Vincent Van Quickenborne told reporters. He was considered a risk to state security and was known to police over people smuggling and living illegally in the country.
He was also suspected of threatening a person in an asylum centre and a hearing on that incident had been due to take place on Tuesday, Mr Van Quickenborne added.
Belgian asylum state secretary Nicole de Moor said the suspect disappeared after his asylum application was refused. As a result, authorities were unable to locate him to organise his deportation.
A spokesperson for Belgium’s federal prosecutor’s office told reporters the investigation was focusing on “a possible terrorist motivation for the shooting”.
Armed police in the Schaerbeek area of the city on Tuesday morning
Sweden has in recent months faced rioting following a string of Koran-burning incidents in both the country itself and in neighbouring Denmark.
As a result, Sweden raised its terrorism alert to the second-highest level in August.
Muslim leaders in Sweden have called on the government to find ways to stop the Koran burnings, but police have allowed them, citing freedom of speech.
Sweden’s SAPO police security service said on Tuesday its assessment of the threat level against Sweden remained unchanged.
