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Police opened fire while detaining a man in the city’s Scheerbeek district, prosecutor’s office spokesman Eric van Dies said, without saying whether the suspect was injured.
The attack took place in the northern part of Brussels, five kilometers from the King Baudouin stadium, where more than 35 thousand fans were watching the football match between Belgium and Sweden. The game was stopped after the shooting, but the attacker himself fled the scene. The terrorist was wearing an orange reflective vest and fired several shots with an automatic rifle.
A video was later circulated on social media in which an Arabic-speaking man claimed responsibility for the killing, possibly inspired by Islamic State.
The suspect is believed to be a man of Tunisian origin who was staying in Belgium illegally, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croix said at the press conference.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Belgian Anti-Terrorism Center called on residents to be vigilant and avoid unnecessary travel.
Security measures have been increased in areas exposed to threats, especially those related to Swedish communities.
People checks will also be stepped up in the country.
In Brussels, the alert level has been raised to the highest – fourth, which means that the threat is extremely serious. The rest of Belgium has the second highest terrorist threat level.
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2023-10-17 06:45:31
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