Terrorist who killed two Swedish citizens in Brussels shot dead
After the attack in Brussels that left two people dead, the Belgian government called a special meeting. The police shot the terrorist in the chest, which cost him his life, more than four hours after Abdesalem Lassoued, the Tunisian terrorist, opened fire indiscriminately shouting "Alahu akbar!" near the Sainctelette square in Brussels, Belgium, against two Swedish fans.
The nation raised the security alert level in its capital to the highest possible level, there is increased police presence, especially for Swedish citizens and institutions, and the public has been advised to be more cautious and avoid unnecessary travel. In contrast, Sweden raised its terror alert to the second-highest level in August in response to threats from jihadists angered by the burning of the Quran and other acts in Sweden against Islam's most revered text.
The Brussels-based Islamist terrorist of Tunisian descent, who lives in the Schaerbeek neighbourhood, has been seeking asylum in Belgium since 2019 and was currently in an irregular situation there. According to the Belgian press, he had already been charged with terrorism-related offences in Tunisia.
The automatic rifle discovered near the shooting victim was the same one used in Monday's deadly attack, Belgian Interior Minister Annelis Verlinden told VRT radio. She also mentioned that the person had been neutralised, but had not yet been officially identified. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo began by expressing his deepest condolences to the Swedish people on behalf of Belgium at a press conference early this morning where he added: "This terrorist attack shakes the foundations of our peaceful societies."
Je suis de tout cœur ce soir avec les familles des deux victimes de l’abject attentat qui a eu lieu à Bruxelles.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) October 16, 2023
Mon soutien absolu aux forces de forces de police belges, pour appréhender rapidement le suspect.
Nous sommes unis contre la terreur.
It has taken Islamic State just four days to spread panic in Europe. Following the call to Holy War by the leader of the Syrian branch of Hamas, Khaled Meshal, in what he renamed "the days of rage", the security of European Union countries is on high alert.
"In the name of Allah, this is a message from the soldiers of the Islamic State. The Islamic State will remain despite your laws. We live for our religion and we die for our religion," were Abdesalem's words in the Facebook post. After committing the murder, the terrorist offered their deaths to Allah: "We live by our religion and we die by our religion". In his speeches, he claimed with great violence, that his aim was to "avenge the Muslims".
The victims are Swedish citizens who were present at the Belgium-Sweden match during the Euro 2024 qualifying round in Brussels on Monday. More than 35,000 people were detained at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels for two hours after the attack, which forced the match to be called off at half-time.
There have been numerous assaults on police and soldiers in Belgium since 2016. In November 2022, a knife-wielding man attacked a police patrol in the Gare du Nord district of Brussels, killing one officer and seriously injuring another.
As Khaled Meshal predicted, this incitement to "anger" has spread outside Israel. A few days ago we learned how a Chechen citizen slit the throat of a high school teacher in France while shouting "Alahu Akbar!", as well as the murder of a diplomat at the Israeli embassy in Beijing, who was stabbed.
To prevent possible attacks, security has been increased at Israeli synagogues, schools, kindergartens and other buildings in cities such as Madrid and Barcelona. The anti-terrorism alert will remain at level 4 (on a scale of 5), as usual, the Interior Ministry said, following the call for "anger".
