This Monday, Belgian authorities raised the alert to level 4, the highest level on the scale that measures the risk of a terrorist attack. The crisis agency adopts this measure, which is classified as “very serious”, when it interprets a “threatening” situation as “serious or threatening”.
The decision follows an attack with a weapon of war in the center of Brussels, which left two dead and one injured. The attack was claimed by a man claiming to be “the aggressor” and acting “inspired by the Islamic State,” Belgian authorities announced.
The President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who arrived in Belgium on Monday, had planned an informal meeting with the Portuguese community in Brussels to watch the broadcast of the Bosnia-Portugal match.
But “after leaving the private dinner offered by His Majesty King Philippe and Her Majesty Queen Matilde”, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was told that “there was a situation, which coincided with the match that took place in Brussels, between Belgium and Sweden, in which violence took place,” the president reported to journalists, already at the hotel, where he was advised by the authorities to “go straight.”
“There was actually the violent death of two Swedes. And this resulted in me having to go to a Portuguese commercial establishment to watch the match with the Portuguese. [Portugal-Bosnia] and the competent authorities understood that I had to go directly to the hotel here,” he reported.
Authorities confirmed the attacker fled after the shooting. In a video published on social media, in which the attacker claimed responsibility for the death, “the Swedish nationality of the victims is mentioned as a likely motivation for the act,” according to a note from the Belgian crisis agency.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was informed by the authorities about the security configuration in Brussels and was advised to stay at the hotel with his entourage.
“What I know at the moment is that (…) the aggressor has in fact invoked a religious factor related to a problem that allegedly occurred (…) not so long ago in Sweden and that is why this provided a characterization that is being studied by the authorities,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
These elements discovered by the federal police led to the adoption of “urgent security measures to best protect Swedish fans against possible new attacks.”
Coincidence with Gaza?
When asked whether he sees any connection in this attack, which the Belgian authorities are investigating as an attack, with the deterioration of the situation in the Middle East, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa gives a different interpretation, saying that it is “premature to at this time to establish a connection between this and that which is being experienced in the Middle East”.
“It seems to be another previous problem that appears now, at this moment, because of a very simple fact, because of the possibility that this football challenge [Bélgica-Suécia] Ultimately, objectively speaking, I have created this situation that I regret and for which I have already had the opportunity to deplore Your Majesty for having occurred here,” he emphasized, also finding it “deplorable if it turns out that it really is a terrorist gesture”.
Middle East summit debate
Speaking in Brussels, where his three-day state visit to the Kingdom of Belgium begins this Tuesday, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also called for the “unity” of those in the European Union, on the day the 27 meet for a video conference, to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
“The European Union faces another difficult but important challenge here, at a time when, as a result of the war in Ukraine, the world is confronted with a change in the balance of power and when in many cases it is the European Union and the The European Union can play an important role there, more than other powers or in cooperation with other powers in the world”, stated the President of the Republic, considering that “for this it is essential, as happened in Ukraine, to act in unity fast, anticipatory and with the ability to predict events”.
The extraordinary summit takes place ten days after the Hamas attacks in southern Israel and at a time of fear of an invasion of Palestinian territory by Israeli forces.
Also on the table during the video conference is a warning about the possibility that the conflict in the Middle East will trigger a wave of migration to countries in the region, where there are already “a significant number of refugees in the area itself,” the president said. of the European Council, Charles Michel, in the letter he addressed to European leaders.
“Engagement with regional actors” is an option seen as “critical” given that those most affected by the conflict “can play an effective role,” he argues, saying his goal is “to not to lose sight of the importance of the war.” of the pursuit of lasting and sustainable peace, based on a two-state solution.”
In a position already expressed unanimously, the 27 believe that all efforts to restart “the Middle East peace process” should be resumed.
Recalling the role of the European Union in providing humanitarian support to Ukraine, the President of the European Council argues that humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable must now also be strengthened, while at the same time every effort must be made to prevent the regional escalation of prevent the crisis. conflict in the Middle East.
Source: DN
