Belgium Raises Terror Alert To Highest Level After Two Shot Dead

Following the deadly shootings of two Swedes in Brussels, which Prime Minister Alexander De Croo claimed may have been related to terrorism, Belgian police upped the terror warning to its maximum level in the capital.

The countrywide terror warning has been elevated to its second-highest level, according to the OCAD anti-terror center.

The Belgian-Swedish football match was abandoned at halftime, and according to Laura Demullier of the OCAD, the top concern for officials had been to safely evacuate the thousands of spectators.

The killings took place three miles from the stadium, where more than 35,000 spectators were detained for more than two hours, and the attacker, who is still at large.

“The population needs to be actively vigilant and avoid any unnecessary travel,” Ms. Demullier stated.

The threat is considered “extremely serious” when it is raised to the top 4 terror level grade. Before that, it had a value of 2, which meant that the threat was average. Mr. De Croo called the gunmen “cowards” for carrying out the attack.

He claimed the night was intended to be “a wonderful soccer party” while speaking at a press conference on Tuesday morning. He also claimed the victims had been “cut down by extreme brutality.”

“Terrorism is directed against people everywhere,” he said. “Terrorists will never defeat us and we are fighting it together with our Swedish friends.

“Moments like these are a heavy ordeal but we are never going to let ourselves be intimidated by them.”

Earlier, Mr de Croo had written on X, formerly known as Twitter: “I have just offered my sincere condolences to @SwedishPM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels.

“As close partners, the fight against terrorism is a joint one.”

Eric Van Duyse, a spokesman for the federal prosecutor’s office, told reporters the investigation was centering on “a possible terrorist motivation for the shooting”.

“During the evening, a claim of responsibility was posted on social media, having been recorded by a person claiming to be the assailant. This person claims to be inspired by Islamic State,” he said.

“The Swedish nationality of the victims was put forward as the probable motive for the act. At this time, no element indicates a possible link with the Israeli-Palestinian situation.”

Mr Van Duyse would not say where the suspect might be or whether more than one person might have been involved. He said the suspected attacker was still at large.

At the football match, he said, “Security measures were urgently taken to protect the Swedish supporters”.

“A horrible shooting in Brussels, and the perpetrator is actively being tracked down,” said interior minister Annelies Verlinden, adding that she was joining government talks at the National Crisis Centre.

A man is seen shooting repeatedly with a big gun near a station in amateur videos broadcast by the media. The two victims were Swedes, according to a police spokesman.

When policemen got on the site, the immediate neighborhood was shut off, according to police spokeswoman Ilse Vande Keere. On the shooting’s circumstances, she chose not to go into further detail.

The incident occurred during a period of heightened alertness related to the Israel-Hamas conflict, which has increased tension in various European countries.

At the same time, growing international drug trafficking has led to increased violence in the capital city of Belgium.