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Two people were shot dead in a suspected terrorist attack before a football match in Brussels, police confirmed.
The shooting, which took place in Boulevard d'Ypres in Brussels, has left a further person injured as two people, both believed to be Swedish, were fatally shot.
A spokesperson for mobile emergency and resuscitation service SMUR confirmed the incident, which occurred at 7.20pm today. They said: "Our services were called around 7:20 p.m. Tram traffic was stopped."
Police reports from the scene indicate one person was shot in the lobby of a hotel and a further two people were shot in a taxi. It is believed the shooting was an act of terrorism. Footage of the alleged shooting is being circulated on X.
The suspect behind the shooting is believed to have mentioned the Islamic State and the Caliph of Islam on their social media profiles, La Libre reported. Police are still hunting down the suspect, who is said to have fled the scene and used the name "Slayem Slouma" in grim posts online.
A spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office says an investigation has been opened. The shooting took place a short while before Sweden's Euro 2024 qualifier match against Belgium. UEFA issued a statement on X saying: "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 UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying match between Belgium and Sweden is abandoned. Further communication will be made in due course."
Belgium's National Crisis Centre has raised the terror alert in the country to the highest level, with the rest of the nation elevated to the second-highest.
An investigating source said: "He was also screaming about carrying out a revenge attack. He was shooting at various people, and hit a number of them. This had all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack."
The as-yet unnamed suspect is believed to have used an automatic rifle in the killings, which has left two dead and one injured in the Belgian capital. A Crisis Centre meeting, featuring security heads and Belgian politicians, is currently underway.
A video posted on social media saw the man claim he had carried out the attack in the name of God, BBC reported. Police are currently verifying the footage. The man in the clip claimed he had killed three people in the attack.
Images captured by local media claim the man who carried out the shooting was wearing a fluorescent orange jacket and white helmet. According to reports from rbtf, the man had targeted two men wearing Swedish football team shirts.
The shooting is believed to have taken place around three miles away from the stadium. The Belgian capital had seen a rise in violence and drug-related crimes, with international drug trafficking taking its toll on the area.
Police spokeswoman Ilse Vande Keere said officers who arrived on the scene immediately cordoned off the area. No further information was given by the spokeswoman on the shooting.
Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said: "My deepest condolences to the relatives of the cowardly assassination attempt in Brussels. I monitor developments together with the Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs from the national crisis centre."
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