Two people died and many were injured A firearm was fired in the incident, which occurred shortly after 19:00 near Saintelette Square and Ypres Boulevard. Brussels.
Police sources quoted by regional media group Sudinfo state: A man shouts “Alahu Akbar!” with a Kalashnikov type rifle. He opened fire indiscriminately.. The attacker was wearing a helmet and reflective vest and fled on a motorcycle.
Sources from the journalism group state: Two victims are Swedish citizens They were wearing the jerseys of the Swedish football team because the match between the Belgian and Swedish national teams will be played this afternoon.
National crisis center spokesman Antoine Iseux stated that the Threat Analysis Coordination Board (Ocam) upgraded the Brussels-capital region to the 4th (highest) threat level and the rest of Belgium to the 3rd level. Confirming his terrorist nature, he reopened the investigation.
In the video recorded by a witness, circulating on the internet and reproduced by sports newspaper DH, The man is seen arriving alone on a small motorcycle, throws the motorcycle to the ground and starts shooting rapidly. on the street with a large-caliber gun.
The attacker, wearing a fluorescent orange jacket and a white helmet, first shot at the two dead people in the taxi, who were wearing Swedish national team jerseys. Later I chased a few people He shot one of the people trying to take shelter in the Flemish Housing Fund building, shot one of them again while he was lying on the ground, and eventually left and escaped on his motorcycle.
According to the media, the attacker’s jacket was the same jacket used by municipal cleaning staff in Brussels.
Some witnesses said the man shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he shot his victims.
The alleged attacker, Slayem Slouma, later published a video on social media that he claimed belonged to the organization. Islamic State and boasts of executing “heretics.”
In his very violent speech, he said that he shot two people.”We will take revenge on Muslims and live and die for our religion.“.
Emergency services and police teams are being mobilized to locate the attacker.
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Justice went to the National Crisis Center tonight, where Brussels mayor Philippe Close was present, to monitor the situation.
Belgium-Sweden European Cup qualifiers postponed at half time
As a result of the attack, İ. The match played between Belgium and Sweden in the Euro 2024 qualifiers in Brussels ended 1-1 in the first half..
The match ended 1-1 with the goals of Viktor Gyokeres for Sweden in the 15th minute and Romelu Lukaku for Belgium in the 31st minute, and then UEFA announced its penalty.
According to the news of ‘Le Soir’, while both teams were informed about the situation during the half-time, the president of the Swedish Football Federation was also evacuated.
Swedish players refused to restart the matchThe Belgian newspaper adds that the Red Devils’ request has been accepted. Fans and journalists were trapped in the stadium.