Police hunt for gunman after two men 'in football shirts' shot dead in 'terror attack'

​Fans have been told to stay inside Belgium's national stadium

Fans have been told to stay inside Belgium's national stadium

Getty
Holly Bishop

By Holly Bishop


Published: 16/10/2023

- 21:44

Updated: 16/10/2023

- 23:16

Brussels is on threat level four - the highest possible alert

Two Swedish men have been shot dead in the Belgian capital, with the police currently hunting down the gunman.

The city is currently hosting the Belgium-Sweden Euro 2024 qualifier football match, forcing police to keep fans inside the national stadium as authorities confirm they are treating the attack as terrorism.


No suspect has yet been arrested, and police have cordoned off the scene.

Brussels has since increased its terror threat to the highest level.

WATCH NOW: Brussels shooting aftermath

It has been moved to the second-highest level in the rest of the country.

The Belgium-Sweden Euro 2024 qualifier football match was suspended at half-time, after the players decided they did not want to continue the game after the incident.

In a statement, UEFA said: "Following a suspected terrorist attack in Brussels this evening, it has been decided, after consultation with the two teams and the local police authorities, that the qualifying match between Belgium and Sweden is abandoned."

Belgian police secure the area after a shooting in Brussels, Belgium

Belgian police secure the area after a shooting in Brussels, Belgium

Reuters

Belgium's prime minister Alexander De Croo, appeared to link the shooting to terrorism.

In a post on social media, he wrote: "I have just offered my sincere condolences to the Swedish prime minister following tonight's harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels.

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"Our thoughts are with the families and friends who lost their loved ones. As close partners, the fight against terrorism is a joint one."

A video posted on social media showed an Arabic-speaking man claiming he carried out the attack in the name of God.

The man in the footage added he had killed three people.

The Federal Prosecutor's office has confirmed it has seen the video but cannot confirm he is the gunman.

People work at a shooting scene as Belgian police secure the area, in Brussels

People work at a shooting scene as Belgian police secure the area, in Brussels

Reuters

It is understood that footage of the attack is being verified by the police.

A social media video shared by newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws showed a man wearing a fluorescent jacket get off a scooter armed with what appears to be a rifle before entering a nearby building.

He appears to then shoot at least one person.

Police and emergency services have cordoned off nearby roads following the shooting which happened at around 7pm local time.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that Brussels was again hit by an "Islamist terrorist attack".

"Europe has been shaken," he said, speaking in Albania.

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