Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The terrorist threat level in Brussels has been raised to its highest after two Swedes were killed in a shooting which Belgium’s prime minister Alexander De Croo linked to terrorism.
“I have just offered my sincere condolences to [Sweden’s prime minister] following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels,” De Croo wrote on social media platform X.
“As close partners the fight against terrorism is a joint one,” De Croo added.
A police spokesperson confirmed that shots had been fired in the area of Saintclette in the north-west of Brussels on Monday evening, adding that a police perimeter had been established and the investigation was ongoing.
A spokesperson for the Brussels prosecutor’s office confirmed the alleged shooter was still at large.
Belgium’s Crisis Centre raised the terrorist alert level to 4, its highest, urging people to avoid unnecessary travel. This is the first time this level has been declared since 35 people were killed during Islamist terrorist attacks in 2016.
The shooting took place after thousands of Swedes had arrived in Brussels for a football match. The Swedish football association said spectators were being kept inside the stadium for their own safety after the Euro 2024 qualifying tie had been halted at half-time.
The Crisis Centre wrote on X that arrangements to escort supporters safely from the Belgium-Sweden match out of the stadium were being examined, and urged them to follow emergency service instructions.
European countries have been on heightened alert because of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, fearing possible repercussions on the continent. Last week, a teacher was killed in France in an incident which Jewish leaders have connected with the conflict.
It was not immediately clear if the shooting in Brussels was linked to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The European Commission issued a security warning to its staff and urged them to stay inside following the incident. Commission president Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X: “Together, we stand united against terror.”
De Croo, interior minister Annelies Verlinden and justice minister Vincent Van Quickenborne were meeting at the Crisis Centre in the evening to monitor the situation.
