Belgian officials raise terror alert after gunman kills 2 Swedes in Brussels

A gunman fatally shot two Swedes in Brussels late Monday, prompting authorities to halt a Sweden-Belgium soccer match in the nearby national stadium as the capital went on its highest terror alert level with the assailant at large.

The killings happened some five kilometres from the stadium, Belgium's anti-terror centre said. The match was suspended halfway through, and more than 35,000 soccer fans were holed up in the stadium for hours.

Eric Van Duyse, spokesperson for the federal prosecutor's office, told reporters the investigation was centring on "a possible terrorist motivation for the shooting."

"During the evening, a claim of responsibility was posted on social media, having been recorded by a person claiming to be the assailant. This person claims to be inspired by Islamic State," Van Duyse said.

"The Swedish nationality of the victims was put forward as the probable motive for the act. At this time, no element indicates a possible link with the Israeli-Palestinian situation."

Van Duyse would not say where the suspect might be or whether more than one person might have been involved. He said the suspected attacker was still at large.

Belgium raised the terror alert for Brussels to Level 4, the top rating, which means that a "threat is extremely serious." It previously stood at Level 2, which means the threat was average.

"I have just offered my sincere condolences to #SwedishPM following tonight's harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels," Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said. He added on X, formerly known as Twitter, "As close partners the fight against terrorism is a joint one."

Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer called the news of the shootings "terrible" in a statement to Reuters.

"Tonight we have received terrible news from Brussels. The Government office and relevant authorities are working intensively to get more information about what happened," Strommer said.

The Swedish government was in direct contact with the Belgian government, he added.

Heightened tension in Europe

The shooting came at a time of increased vigilance linked to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which has heightened tension in several European nations. At the same time, the Belgian capital has been the scene of increased violence linked to international drug trafficking.

"A horrible shooting in Brussels, and the perpetrator is actively being tracked down," said Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden, adding that she was joining government talks at the National Crisis Centre.

Media reports aired amateur videos showing a man arriving on a scooter in an orange fluorescent vest, dropping the vehicle and immediately taking out a large weapon and opening fire on passersby. Apart from the two Swedes who were killed, a local taxi driver was hurt but his life was not in danger.

Sweden raised its terror alert to the second-highest level in August after a series of public Qur'an-burnings by an Iraqi refugee living in Sweden resulted in threats from Islamic militant groups.