A man accused of killing two Swedish soccer fans in a suspected terror attack is dead after being tracked down by police in Belgium on Tuesday morning.
The suspect, who has not yet been named, was found by police in Brussels, the Belgian capital. A manhunt was launched after two Swedish men were killed Monday night in the city.
“The perpetrator of the terrorist attack in Brussels has been identified and has died,” said Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden on Tuesday morning. “We would like to thank the intelligence and security services, as well as the public prosecutor’s office, for their swift and decisive action last night and this morning,” she said on the social platform X.
Verlinden told Belgian broadcaster VRT that the suspected murder weapon had been found.
Police said Monday night that the person responsible for the attack had said on social media that he was inspired by Islamic State ideology.
Alexander De Croo, the Belgian prime minister, said Tuesday morning that he had offered his condolences to the Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson.
“As close partners the fight against terrorism is a joint one,” De Croo wrote on X.
Brussels was hosting an international soccer match on Monday night between the men’s national teams of Belgium and Sweden, which was abandoned at half time after news of the shootings emerged.
Belgian authorities raised the threat level for Brussels to 4, the highest, and raised the general threat level for Belgium to 3. But prosecutors said there is no indication that the attack was linked to the conflict in the Middle East.
In a video posted to social media and verified by NBC News, a person in an orange jacket on the street can be seen waving what appeared to be a gun amid the sound of gunfire. In a second video, the shooter enters a building and appears to open fire inside. An apparent victim falls to the floor. The shooter then appears to fire on the victim again.
This is a developing story, check back here for updates soon.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
