Belgian police shoot dead man in search for Brussels terror suspect
The man is suspected of killing two Swedish nationals and wounding another in shooting spree

A gunman suspected of carrying out a terror attack in which two Swedish football fans were killed was shot dead by Belgian police this morning.
"The perpetrator of the Brussels terrorist attack was identified and has died," said Belgium's interior minister, Annelies Verlinden, in a statement. "Our thanks to the intelligence and security services and the public prosecutor's office for their quick and decisive action last night and this morning."
Monday night's attack took place about a mile north of the city centre’s Grand Place, close to the Sainte Catherine area, "a popular spot filled with restaurants and bars", said Politico. The attack, in which two Swedish nationals were killed and a third was wounded, happened just before the start of the international football match between Belgium and Sweden, which was then abandoned at half-time.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The suspect, who identified himself as a member of Islamic State and claimed responsibility for the attack in an online video, was found during a police raid in Brussels' northern Schaerbeek district on Tuesday morning. "He was found in a cafe and shot there," said Verlinden.
Justice minister Vincent Van Quickenborne told a news conference that the 45-year-old suspect was known to the police, and had been denied asylum in Belgium in 2019. He was suspected of involvement in human trafficking, living illegally in Belgium, and posing a risk to state security.
Video footage of the attack, posted on the Het Laatste Nieuws newspaper website, showed a man in an orange jacket on a scooter at a street intersection with a rifle, firing five shots. He then pursued people fleeing into a building, firing again. Police are actively seeking an accomplice who allegedly filmed the attack, the newspaper reported.
Belgium has been "the target of several Islamist attacks" in recent years, with the deadliest being the 2016 bombings of Brussels airport and the city's metro, in which 32 people died. "Several of the Islamist gunmen who targeted Paris in a 2015 attack that killed 130 people were Belgian or living in Brussels," said Reuters.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - March 22, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - silenced voices, DOGE backlash, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 crazed cartoons about March Madness
Cartoons Artists take on the education bracket, apolitical moments, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Elon Musk: has he made Tesla toxic?
Talking Point Musk's political antics have given him the 'reverse Midas touch' when it comes to his EV empire
By The Week UK Published
-
Turkey arrests Istanbul mayor, a top Erdogan rival
Speed Read Protests erupted in Turkey after authorities detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel strikes Gaza, breaking ceasefire
Speed Read 326 Palestinians were killed in the first major attack since Netanyahu's government signed a ceasefire agreement with Hamas
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Houthis vow retaliation amid US airstrikes
Speed Read Trump promises the US will use 'overwhelming lethal force' against the Houthis until they stop attacking Red Sea ships
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Pakistan train hostage standoff ends in bloodshed
Speed Read Pakistan's military stormed a train hijacked by separatist militants, killing 33 attackers and rescuing hundreds of hostages
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Arab leaders embrace Egypt's Gaza rebuilding plan
Speed Read The $53 billion proposal would rebuild Gaza without displacing Palestinian residents
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published