After the fatal shots at two Swedes in Brussels, the suspected attacker was “neutralized” while fleeing, according to police. The 45-year-old Tunisian was no stranger to the authorities. He applied for asylum in Belgium in November 2019, Justice Minister Vincent van Quickenborne said early Tuesday morning.
Abdesalem Lassoued (45) came to the attention of the police in connection with human trafficking, illegal residence and endangering state security, according to the Minister of Justice. In July 2016, a foreign police service passed on unconfirmed information that the man had a radical profile and wanted to go to jihad in a conflict area, Van Quickenborne said. There is plenty of such information. It was checked with no results. “Moreover, as far as our services are aware, there was no concrete evidence of radicalization.”
“He disappeared from the radar”
State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor said that the suspected perpetrator applied for asylum in November 2019. “He received a negative decision in October 2020 and disappeared from the radar shortly afterwards.” In February 2021, he was officially removed from the national register. He has never been in a state shelter. Because he had been removed from the national register, his whereabouts could not be determined to organize his return, she said.
Gunfight in Schaerbeek
A search by special units in the Brussels Schaarbeek district, where Lassoued is said to have last lived, was initially unsuccessful on Tuesday, according to federal prosecutor Frédèric Van Leeuw. “No one was found at the address provided,” he said. For security reasons, the entire building with about twenty apartments was searched by the police.
A short time later it was announced that the police in Schaerbeek had “neutralized a suspect”. It was said the man was injured by gunfire and police opened fire. According to the AFP news agency, the suspect was in a cafe. His identity has not yet been officially confirmed and it is unclear whether he is still alive. It was announced that the police had found a weapon on the man, which could have been the weapon in Monday evening’s murder attempt.
Swedish football fans shot dead
The attacker rode a scooter north of the city center on Monday evening and shot around the street. Two Swedish football fans were fatally injured and a third victim, a taxi driver, is now out of danger. The two Swedes died about five kilometers from the Brussels football stadium. The European Championship qualifier was canceled when the score was 1-1.
A confession video is circulating online in which the perpetrator identifies himself and claims to be a “jihadist” and supporter of Islamic State. Calling himself Abdeslam Jilani, he said he wanted to ‘take revenge on the Muslims’. Other videos of the Islamist in which he spreads radical statements are also circulating online.
Source: Krone
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