Brussels on alert: There are deaths and injuries in the armed attack
At around 19:15 local time in Brussels, a person in an orange coat arrived on his motorcycle and opened fire randomly on a street near Place Sainctelette, boulevards d’Ypres and Ninieme de Ligne.
While two people died as a result of the attack, no clear statement was made about the number of injured.
It was claimed that the two people killed were Swedish football fans.
A witness said the attacker shouted “Allahu Akbar” before firing.
“I KILLED THREE INFIRES”
Following the attack, a video purportedly belonging to the attacker was shared on social media. In the video shared from a profile called “Slayem Slouma,” the person who allegedly carried out the attack is alleged to have said, “I killed three infidels.”
Following the attack, the alert level in Brussels was raised to 4, the highest. In the rest of Belgium, the alert level is at level 3.
The federal prosecutor’s office assessed the incident as a terrorist attack and launched an operation.
As part of the Euro 2024 Qualifiers, Belgium faces Sweden at home. Although it was claimed that there were many Swedish tourists in the city, the match was postponed due to the attack that occurred 5 kilometers from the King Baudouin Stadium.
Since the attacker was not caught, they were told to remain in the stands.
PRIME MINISTER: OUR FIGHT AGAINST TERROR IS COMMON
In his message shared on the social media platform
Expressing his condolences to his Swedish counterpart, De Croo said: “Our fight against terrorism is common.”
FIRST DECLARATION OF SWEDEN
Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer said: “Tonight we received terrible news from Brussels. “The government office and relevant authorities are working hard to find out more about what is happening,” he said. The minister added that the Swedish government is in direct contact with the Belgian government.
MACRON’S “ISLAMIC TERROR ATTACK”
French President Emmanuel Macron said: “Brussels has once again been the target of an Islamist terrorist attack.”
The President of the European Union (EU) Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also expressed her condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and shared the message “We stand together against terrorism.” (REUTERS-AA)