Belgian Police Kill 'Terrorist Attacker' Who Shot Two Swedish Football Fans

Belgian police announced on Tuesday, October 17, that a radical Tunisian suspect in the killing of two Swedish football fans in Brussels was shot dead after being identified. Hours after the pursuit began to apprehend the 45-year-old attacker, the Belgian Interior Minister expressed gratitude to the country's intelligence and security agencies in a post on social media platform X, stating: 'The terrorist attacker in Brussels has been identified and is dead.' Social media posts about the attack on Monday show a man wearing an orange vest, riding a scooter, shooting at individuals disembarking from a taxi, and then pursuing them into a building where he killed them. The assailant was seen reloading his weapon calmly while cars passed by. There are many questions about how this individual, who had a record due to his extremist tendencies and was being sought for deportation by the police, managed to obtain a military weapon and carry out such an attack. According to the Belgian Justice Minister, the attacker's asylum request was rejected in 2019, and the police considered him a suspect in human trafficking, illegal residency in Belgium, and a threat to national security. The Belgian Prime Minister, in a press conference, confirmed the deaths of two individuals and the injury of another, expressing condolences to their families and the Swedish Prime Minister. The attack on Swedish citizens interrupted a football match between Sweden and Belgium that was taking place not far from the incident site. About 35,000 spectators were forced to remain in the stadium for security reasons during the pursuit to apprehend the attacker. The Swedish Prime Minister also stated in a press conference that the attacker had occasionally been present in Sweden but had no record with the police there. He emphasized the need to protect Europe's external borders.