By Philip Blenkinsop
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Two Swedish nationals have been shot dead in Brussels, police said on Monday, and Belgium raised its terror alert to the highest level as a man in a video on social media claimed that he was the assailant and that he was from the Islamic State.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo confirmed on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the victims were Swedish, but not their number, which the assailant, calling himself Abdesalem Al Guilani and a fighter for Allah, put at three, rather than two.
“I have just offered my sincere condolences to the Swedish PM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels,” de Croo said on X.
ALSO READ: US marks September 11 attacks with Pentagon, World Trade Center site events
“Our thoughts are with the families and friends who lost their loved ones. As close partners the fight against terrorism is a joint one,” he said.
One Belgian newspaper said it was likely that the victims were two soccer supporters. Belgium are hosting Sweden in a Euro 2024 qualifying match on Monday evening.
A police spokesperson confirmed that two people had been killed in a shooting incident near the centre of the Belgian capital but declined to give further details.
A spokesperson for Brussels prosecutors, who are handling the case, also declined to give any details concerning the victims or any possible motive.
Video footage posted on the Het Laatste Nieuws newspaper website showed a man in an orange jacket on a scooter at a street intersection with a rifle first firing two shots, then three more, then running into a building, firing two more shots, leaving, taking a few steps back again and shooting one more time.
ALSO READ: Enough is enough! PM vows to hunt down terroristsÂ
One Belgium newspaper said a witness said the shooter shouted “Allahu Akbar” before the shots were fired.
In the video message recorded by the self-declared perpetrator, he said:
“Islamic greeting Allahu Akbar. My name is Abdesalem Al Guilani and I am a fighter for Allah. I am from the Islamic State. We love who loves us and we hate who hates us. We live for our religion and we die for our religion. Alhamdulah. Your brother took revenge in the name of Muslims. I have killed 3 Swedes so far Al Hamdoulelah. 3 Swedish, yes. Those to whom I have done something wrong, may they forgive me. And I forgive everyone. Salam Aleykoum.”
