Three days after the knife attack on a high school in Arras, in the north of France, another tragedy took place in Brussels, Belgium, on the evening of Monday October 16.
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A new attack
These are chilling images. At around 7pm, a man opened fire on passers-by in the streets of Brussels, using an automatic weapon. Two Swedish citizens were killed.
The gunman, who claimed responsibility for his attack and membership of the Islamic State and Daesh in a video posted on social networks, had been on the run since yesterday evening. While French and Belgian governments announced the doubling of manpower at the border with Belgium on Tuesday, October 17, the public prosecutor's office has just announced that the gunman has been arrested in Brussels. The man's identity has been identified. As reported by RTBF, the individual was spotted in Schaerbeek and suffered gunshot wounds to the chest. He succumbed to his injuries.
A disturbing profile
The shooter's name is Abdesalem L., of Tunisian origin, aged 45. He lives in Schaerbeek, in the Brussels-Capital region, as reported by Le Monde. Shortly after the incident, his home was searched. In the early hours of Tuesday, October 17, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo told a press conference that the man was 'staying illegally' in Belgium, and that he was 'known to the police for suspicions of human trafficking, illegal residence and undermining state security'.
The latter was also said to have applied for asylum in 2019, but was 'refused in October 2020, having disappeared shortly afterwards', said the Belgian Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration. The shooter had 'not been convicted of terrorism in Tunisia, but for common crimes', Vincent Van Quickenborne also explained. In the Brussels region, the terrorist threat level has been raised to four.
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This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag FR.
Sources used :
BFM TV
Le Monde
RTBF
