Two people were shot dead in the Belgian capital Brussels on Monday night, the country’s prosecutor’s office said. The BBC also says the attacker fled the crime scene.
Local media also claim that the victims are Swedish and the motives for the attack are still unknown.
Belgium is on high alert and the case is now being treated as a terrorist attack.
According to the TSF At the scene, the man chased, on a scooter, a Swedish couple, who tried to take refuge in a residence, but without success.
This Tuesday, the President of the Republic begins a state visit to the kingdom of Belgium.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa met with the Portuguese community on Monday night, in a Portuguese cafe, where he was going to watch Portugal’s game against Bosnia. However, when leaving a private dinner offered by the kings of Belgium, Marcelo was faced with this incident and advised him to return to the hotel.
Federal prosecutors have already opened a terrorism investigation following the attack.
“At this moment, what I know is that the aggressor has not yet been arrested and that he invoked a religious factor,” says the President of the Republic, who considers it “premature” to establish a direct link between the incident and the conflict in the Middle East. .
“It would be regrettable if it were discovered that it was actually a terrorist gesture,” he concludes.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also explains that, in principle, the program planned for Thursday will be followed, which begins early in the morning.
The Swedish team was going to face Belgium tonight, at the Heysel stadium, five kilometers away. UEFA says the match was suspended at half-time for safety reasons.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo expressed his “sincere condolences to the loved ones of the victims of the cowardly attack in Brussels.”
My deepest condolences to the families of this cowardly attack in Brussels.
I am following the situation closely, together with the Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs of @CrisiscenterBE
We are monitoring the situation and asking the citizens of Brussels to be vigilant.
– Alejandro De Croo (@alexanderdecroo) October 16, 2023
“We are attentive to the situation and we ask the people of Brussels to be attentive,” he added.
News update
*with Claudia Alves Mendes
Source: TSF
