Two Swedes shot dead in Brussels, Belgium raises terror alert to top level

Two Swedish nationals have been shot dead in Brussels as a football match between Belgium and Sweden was due to take place on Monday evening, police said, and Belgium raised its terror alert to the highest level.

A man in a video on social media claimed that he was the assailant and that he was from Islamic State.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo confirmed on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the victims were Swedish, but not their number. The alleged assailant, calling himself Abdesalem Al Guilani and a fighter for Allah, put the number of victims at three, rather than two.

“I have just offered my sincere condolences to the Swedish PM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels,” de Croo said on X.

“Our thoughts are with the families and friends who lost their loved ones. As close partners the fight against terrorism is a joint one,” he said.

Read more: Reuters