Belgium shooting: Terror alert level raised after two Swedes killed by gunman in Brussels

Police cordon off an area where a shooting took place in the centre of Brussels. Photo / AP

Belgian authorities raised the terror alert to its highest level in the capital late Monday after the fatal shooting of two Swedes in Brussels that Prime Minister Alexander De Croo linked to terrorism. The gunman remained at large.

The killings happened some 5 kilometres from a stadium where over 35,000 fans were watching a Belgium-Sweden soccer match, Belgium’s anti-terror centre said. The match was abandoned half way through, reports Associated Press.

Supporters in the stands after the suspension of the Euro 2024 group F qualifying soccer match between Belgium and Sweden in Brussels. Photo / AP

“The population needs to be actively vigilant and avoid any unnecessary travel,” anti-terror centre 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.

Due to the incidents in Brussels earlier tonight, play is suspended. Our thoughts are with all those affected. pic.twitter.com/RTZHBEjjOC

— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) October 16, 2023

The centre also said that the terror alert for the rest of the country was raised to its second-highest level. Raising the terror level in the capital to the top 4 rating means that a “threat is extremely serious.” It previously stood at 2, which means the threat was average.

Media reports aired amateur videos showing a man shooting several times near a station using a large weapon.

It was not immediately clear if the shooting was linked to the international uproar over the Israel-Hamas war.

Police spokeswoman Ilse Vande Keere said officers arrived soon at the scene, and sealed off the immediate neighbourhood. She declined to elaborate on circumstances of the shooting.

Based on images and video taken by bystanders the man, wearing a bright orange jacket and motorbike helmet, climbs onto a scooter. After pointing the firearm at passing cars he flees the scene.

In a video posted on social media, a man believed to be the attacker pledged his support to the Islamic State and talked of “murdering infidels” and “avenging the Muslims”. Police confirmed that the man in the video was the one they were searching for.

Belgium Prime Minister De Croo took to social media to express his condolences following the shooting.

I have just offered my sincere condolences to @SwedishPM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels.

Our thoughts are with the families and friends who lost their loved ones.

As close partners the fight against terrorism is a joint one.

— Alexander De Croo 🇧🇪🇪🇺 (@alexanderdecroo) October 16, 2023

Belgium has suffered a series of terrorist attacks in recent years - all of it related to Islamist groups such as Isis and Al-Qaeda, reports the Daily Mail UK.

Eight men have just been tried for their connections to the 2016 suicide bombings that killed 32 people and wounded hundreds at Brussels airport and a subway station.

In September, a Brussels court handed out sentences ranging up to life in prison to eight men for the jihadist bombings in Brussels.

The shooting came at a time of increased vigilance linked to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war that has heightened tension in several European nations.

Sweden raised its terror alert to the second-highest level in August after a series of public Quran-burnings by an Iraqi refugee living in Sweden resulted in threats from Islamic militant groups.

- with AP, Daily Mail UK