Schießerei in Brüssel 2023

The 2023 Brussels shooting was an Islamist terrorist attack against Swedish nationals carried out by Abdessalem Lassoued, a Tunisian 45-year old member of the Islamic State, on 16 October in Brussels, Belgium. At around 7:15 pm that day, Lassoued shot dead two Swedes and critically injured another at the crossing of two boulevards next to the Place Sainctelette, in the City of Brussels. The victims were attending a football match at the King Baudouin Stadium. Immediately after the attack, Lassoued posted a video to social media claiming responsibility, fled the scene and remained at large until the following morning when he was shot by Belgian police and pronounced dead at 9:38 AM.

Following the attack, the terror threat level for Brussels has been raised to 4, the highest level. Belgium as a whole was previously level 2. The attack is being investigated as an act of Islamic terrorism.

Attack

At around 7:15 pm on 16 October 2023, Abdessalem Lassoued began opening fire at Swedish football fans next to the Place Sainctelette, at the crossing of the Boulevard de la Neuvième de Ligne and the Boulevard d'Ypres, in the City of Brussels, about Vorlage:Convert from the King Baudouin Stadium where the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier between Belgium and Sweden was being played. The match was called off at half time and abandoned due to security reasons. A major area in the City of Brussels, where the attack took place, was cordoned off by police.

In response to the attack, the Belgian anti-terror centre raised the terror alert in Brussels to its highest level, and in the rest of Belgium to the second-highest level.

The UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier between Belgium and Sweden at King Baudouin Stadium, about Vorlage:Convert from the site of the attack, was called off at half time due to security reasons. Belgian fans were evacuated, while Swedish fans were moved to a safe area, as they were deemed to be under special threat. Journalist Oskar Ahlqvist working for Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan reported from the stadium that the Swedish fans were taking off their Sweden-themed fan clothing in order to not be as easily identified as Swedish. The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised Swedes in Brussels to be vigilant.

A video of the event is currently circulating widely on social media. In the video, a man is heard shouting "Allahu akbar" ("God is the greatest") before firing an automatic firearm. The Belgian prosecutor said that the third Swedish victim was critically hurt but not in risk of death.

Perpetrator's death

Following a manhunt during the night, Lassoued was seen on a bus in the morning wearing orange clothing. As the bus driver recognised Lassoued from images released by police, he called the police and Lassoued fled the bus. He fled to a café in nearby Schaerbeek where he is known to have had a flat. A witness there recognised him and called police. Police arrived and ended up shooting. He was tried to be revived by ambulance rescuers and taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 09:38. His death was confirmed by Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden on the social media X. Upon arrival to the hospital, he was officially declared dead at 9:38 AM. His weapon was found in a bag of clothes left at the café.

Investigation

Alleged perpetrator

On the morning of 17 October, Belgian minister of interior affairs Annelies Verlinden reported that the suspected perpetrator had been shot by law enforcement in Brussels municipality of Schaerbeek during his attempted arrest, and died on the way to hospital. He was identified as Abdesalem Lassoued (Vorlage:Lang-ar), a 45-year old Tunisian citizen. The automatic firearm used in the terrorist attack was found in the suspect's possession. It was also reported that police assumes the man was a lone wolf inspired by the Islamic State.

At around 11 AM the following day, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson held a press conference stating that he has received information that Lassoued had previously been to Sweden and had been the suspect of terrorist activities in Tunisia, but was not known by Swedish police.

Motive

Belgian authorities have said that a motive behind the killing was that the victims were Swedish, and potentially a revenge for the 2023 Quran burnings in Sweden. The victims were wearing Sweden men's national football team shirts when they were shot. In a video released after the attack, the perpetrator claimed to be directly targeting Swedes. Lassoued had followed an account on the social media TikTok that spread conspiracy theories about Muslim children being kidnapped by the Swedish social authorities.

Reactions

• Vorlage:Flag - Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed condolences to the casualities.
  • Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer called the attacks "terrible news".
• Vorlage:Flag - Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo sent his condolences

• Vorlage:Flag - Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen sent her condolences on the evening of the attack.
• Vorlage:Flag - During a visit to Albania, French President Emmanuel Macron commented on the attack that "Europe has been shaken".
• Vorlage:Flag - The Netherlands enhanced its border control due to the shooting.

See also

• List of terrorist incidents in 2023
• List of terrorist incidents linked to the Islamic State
• Terrorist activity in Belgium