Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The Belgian authorities announced on Tuesday morning the death of the perpetrator of a shooting attack on two Swedish tourists in Brussels on Monday evening, which occurred in Sanktletplein Square in the Belgian capital on Monday evening, resulting in the deaths of the two Swedes. The gunman fled the scene but was shot Tuesday morning. He died of his wounds, this was stated in a statement by the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office. It stated, “Abdul Salam Al-Aswad was shot dead on Tuesday morning in a café in Schaerbeek, a suburb of the capital inhabited by a majority of foreign communities.” After being hit by bullets from Brussels police officers, he was revived and taken to the hospital in critical condition. He died there, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The suspect had a clean criminal record
Abdel Salam Al-Aswad, the 45-year-old Tunisian suspect, has a clean criminal record. This is clear from the analysis of the security services. It was learned earlier that the man was known to the police for suspicious acts such as human smuggling, and that the man was residing in our country illegally. Earlier this year, he was also said to have threatened residents of the asylum center in Kempen. There was also talk of a terrorism conviction in Tunisia, but this relates to the facts of common law.
Justice Minister Van Quickenborn also announced in a press conference on Tuesday morning that Belgian authorities received unconfirmed information from a foreign police service in July 2016 that the man had become radicalized and wanted to leave for a jihadist conflict zone. “The information was then investigated, but nothing further could be done about it,” Van Quickenborn said. “There were no concrete indicators of extremism, which is why it was not on the OCAD list.” It is a center for analyzing security risks and crises
An emergency meeting of the House of Representatives' Internal Affairs Committee on the security situation in Belgium is scheduled to be held as soon as possible. This was reported by the extreme right-wing Vlaams Belang party, to which the head of the committee in Ortwin-Deporter belongs. "Following last night's horrific Islamist terrorist attack that claimed the lives of two Swedes, tougher security measures must be taken immediately," Deportere said. He wants to talk to Interior Minister Anneliese Verlinden about it.
Vlaams Belang wants defense commandos to be deployed from now on if the police have to focus on tracking down the perpetrators. He added: "The visible presence of soldiers on the streets should provide greater security for our cities and deter terrorists." During the crisis meeting last night, it was decided not to call in the army. Vlaams Belang also wants clarification from Justice Minister Vincent van Quickenborn
The National Crisis Center said that “Swedish nationality was the likely motive” for the attack in Brussels. If so, the most plausible explanation is that the Swedes were targeted for burning the Holy Quran in their country. Last July, Stockholm raised the threat level to level four due to these extremist protests.
According to media sources, the football match between Belgium and Sweden on Monday evening was not considered a risky match. The context of the conflict in the Middle East was studied in advance, as well as the issue of burning the Qur’an in Sweden. “We have to think about all of that,” Brussels Mayor Philippe Close said on RTBF television.
Safety measures are currently still in place. This was reported by the National Crisis Center. This involves increased vigilance and a significantly increased police presence. Procedures will be re-evaluated later in the day.
As a result of the attack that occurred in Brussels and the increase in the level of terrorism, the VUB Free University of Brussels decided to hold classes via video only on Tuesday. The various departments of the Erasmus University of Brussels will also remain closed.
Belgium was subjected to several terrorist attacks, the most prominent of which was the attack on the Brussels airport and a domestic train station in March 2016, which resulted in the deaths of 32 people and the injury of more than 300 others.