Abdesalem Lassoued, the man accused of killing two Swedish soccer fans in a suspected terror attack, was killed by Belgian police in Brussels Tuesday morning after a nightlong manhunt. Lassoued had claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group while fatally attacking two Swedish men in the city the previous night.
Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden confirmed the identification of the terrorist attacker and his demise. She expressed gratitude to intelligence and security services, as well as the public prosecutor’s office, for their swift and decisive actions. Verlinden also disclosed that the suspected murder weapon had been located.
“The perpetrator of the terrorist attack in Brussels has been identified and has died,” she said on the social platform X 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.”
Lassoued, 45, went on the run for hours following Monday night’s horror rampage before police tracked him down to a cafe and gunned him down.
The incident occurred during an international soccer match in Brussels between the national teams of Belgium and Sweden. The game was abandoned at halftime upon receiving news of the shootings. Subsequently, Belgian authorities elevated the threat level for Brussels to 4, the highest level, and increased the general threat level for Belgium to 3. However, prosecutors found no indication linking the attack to the Middle East conflict.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo extended condolences to his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson. De Croo revealed that the assailant claimed inspiration from the Islamic State, citing a video posted on social media. In the video, an individual in an orange jacket is seen brandishing what seems to be a gun amid gunfire sounds. The attacker then enters a building, firing inside, and an apparent victim falls to the floor.
“The man claimed to be inspired by the Islamic State. In the same statement, the Swedish nationality of the victims was mentioned as the possible motive for the attack,” De Croo said.
Despite the attempt to instill fear and division, De Croo emphasized that terrorists will never succeed in subduing free society. He asserted that their actions only reveal their powerlessness, and terrorism will never overcome the strength of society.
“Attackers want to seed fear, distrust and division in our free society. Terrorists have to understand that they will never succeed in this mission. They will never subdue our free society. With their hate and violence, they show above all their powerlessness. Terrorism will never beat us,” De Croo declared.
