Brussels shooting live: Swedes abroad warned of terror attacks after country becomes ‘target among jihadists’
Swedish PM said Monday night’s attack in Brussels was “aimed at Sweden and Swedish citizens”.
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Your support makes all the difference.Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called on the European Union to bolster border controls and internal security after a gunman killed two Swedes in Brussels on Monday.
A 45-year-old Tunisian terror suspect opened fire and killed two Swedish football fans. He died on Tuesday after being shot by police in a cafe.
Footage shared online showed a man dressed in an orange jacket unloading several shots, using a large weapon. The bearded man was reportedly seen leaving the crime scene on a scooter.
After the shooting suspect Abdesalem Lassoued posted a video on Facebook about the killings, claiming he was a member of Islamic State (IS) and had killed “three Swedes so far”.
“All indications are that this is a terror attack aimed at Sweden and Swedish citizens only due to them being Swedish,” Kristersson told a news conference.
Sweden raised its terror alert to its second-highest level in August after Koran burnings and other acts in Sweden against Islam’s holiest text outraged Muslims and the government warned that the country had become a priority target among jihadists.
Sweden’s embassies urged nationals to exercise increased vigilance abroad while Swedes at home voiced concerns about safety.
No concrete and immediate risk of terrorism in Italy, minister says
There is no “concrete and immediate risk” of a terrorist attack in Italy, the interior minister said on Tuesday. He added that the current situation does require a high level of attention.
“The terrorist threat often presents itself in an intangible, fluid and not always definable manner,” Matteo Piantedosi told parliament after a self-proclaimed Islamist militant shot dead two Swedish citizens in central Brussels late on Monday.
Macron says ‘Islamist terrorism’ rising in Europe
Europe is seeing a rise of “Islamist terrorism” and all states are threatened, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday during a visit to Albania, after Islamist killings of a teacher in France and two Swedish football fans in Belgium.
“We saw it again yesterday in Brussels. All European states are vulnerable, and there is indeed a resurgence of Islamist terrorism,” Macron said after talks with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Tirana.
“Here, we reiterate our solidarity with our Belgian friends,” Macron said.
He added that in the coming days or weeks he might visit Israel, who is at war with the Islamist group Hamas.
Pictures: Aftermath of deadly shooting
Pictures showed forensic experts working, after a police operation against a deadly shooting suspect in Schaerbeek, Brussels.
Swedish security police arrests two suspected of unauthorized possession of secret information
The Swedish security police arrested Tuesday two people suspected of gross unauthorized possession of secret information following an early morning police raid where several houses were searched in the greater Stockholm area.
Sweden’s SAPO domestic security agency said in a statement the suspects are now being questioned.
It declined to give details on the case or say whether they were Swedish citizens or foreign nationals.
“It was an operation that was carried out calmly and in connection with these arrests. House searches were also carried out in a number of places where seizures have been made,” SAPO spokesman Fredrik Hultgren-Friberg told Swedish public broadcaster SVT.
According to the security agency, Tuesday’s raid is not connected to previous cases but is tied to a separate preliminary investigation. Swedish prosecutors will decide whether to detain or release the suspects by midday Friday.
Sweden call for stronger border control as they say attack was ‘aimed at Swedes'
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called on the European Union to bolster border controls and internal security after a gunman killed two Swedes in Brussels on Monday, saying the region could not afford to be “naive”.
Two Swedes were shot dead and a third wounded in central Brussels on Monday night as Belgium hosted Sweden for a football match.
A man who identified himself as a member of the Islamic State claimed responsibility and said he had killed “three Swedes so far” in a video posted online.
“All indications are that this is a terror attack aimed at Sweden and Swedish citizens only due to them being Swedish,” Kristersson told a news conference.
Sweden raised its terror alert to its second-highest level in August after Koran burnings and other acts in Sweden against Islam’s holiest text outraged Muslims and the government warned that the country had become a priority target among jihadists.
Swedish authorities have also said the country has been the target of disinformation in social media about issues such as the Koran burnings and social services’ handling of Muslim families and Sweden’s embassies urged nationals to exercise increased vigilance abroad.
“The threat assessment against Sweden has gradually changed and the threat of attacks by above all violent Islamist extremism has increased,” security police SAPO said in a statement following the attack on Monday. “It is a serious situation and the Security Police estimates that it will remain for a considerable period.”
Is it safe to travel to Brussels after fatal shooting?
Following the fatal shooting of two people in Brussels on 16 October, the Foreign Office (FCDO) has updated its advice for travel to Belgium.
The FCDO put the Brussels-Capital Region at “threat level 4 of 4: avoid all non-essential travel” following the attack. The advice reads: “Avoid the area and follow the advice of local authorities” and “This is a developing situation – follow the advice of local authorities.”
Travel seems to be going ahead as normal. All Eurostar services from London to Brussels Midi / Zuid are running on time on 17 October, other than one early morning train (7.04am) that was cancelled.
Read more:
Is it safe to travel to Brussels after fatal shooting?
The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice
How Quran burnings in Sweden have increased threats from Islamic militants
The killing of two Swedish citizens in an attack in Brussels has shocked the Scandinavian country, although the government has been warning for months that Swedes were at greater risk since a recent string of public desecrations of the Quran holy book by a handful of anti-Islam activists.
Read more:
How Quran burnings in Sweden have increased threats from Islamic militants
The killing of two Swedish citizens in an attack in Brussels has shocked the Scandinavian country, although the government has been warning for months that Swedes were at greater risk since a recent string of public desecrations of the Quran holy book by a handful of anti-Islam activists
Sweden tells Swedes abroad to be extra cautious
The Swedish government on Tuesday called on the Nordic country’s citizens abroad to be cautious after two Swedes were shot dead in the capital of Belgium on Monday.
“The threat picture against Sweden and Swedish interests abroad was already heightened,” it said on its website.
“Due to the fact two Swedes were killed in Brussels in a suspected terrorist act, Swedes abroad are urged to observe increased caution and increased vigilance and to follow local authorities’ advice,” it said.
Attacks ‘aimed at Swedish citizens'
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a press conference that Monday night’s attack in Brussels was “aimed at Sweden and Swedish citizens”.
Two Swedes were shot dead and a third wounded in central Brussels on Monday night as Belgium hosted Sweden for a football match. A man who identified himself as a member of the Islamic State claimed responsibility in a video posted online.
He was later shot by police and died in hospital.
“All indications are that this is a terror attack aimed at Sweden and Swedish citizens only due to them being Swedish,” Kristersson told a news conference. “These terrorists want to scare us into obedience and silence. That will not happen.”
Kristersson added that Sweden and the European Union needed to better protect their borders and ensure that dangerous individuals could not stay illegally within the region, adding: “This is a time for more security, we can’t be naive.”
Sweden 'need to increase security’
Sweden and the European Union need better border controls, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a press conference on Tuesday.
He spoke after a gunman killed two Swedes in Brussels late on Monday and added that Sweden needs to increase its own security.
“I understand that many Swedes are afraid and angry,” Kristersson said. “This is a time for more security, we can’t be naive.”
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