Brussels shooting: Gunman confirmed dead
Following a morning of uncertainty on Tuesday, the gunman who killed two Swedes on Monday evening in Brussels has been pronounced dead, the Belgian federal prosecutor's office has confirmed.
The 45-year-old man of Tunisian origin, known as Abdesalem L, died in hospital on Tuesday morning after a shootout with police at Al Khaima café in Schaarbeek. The automatic weapon that the man used in the attack was also found at the same location.
©BELGA VIDEO HATIM KAGHAT
"The shooter was not on the OCAD list [of terror suspects] because he was not known for terrorist offences in our databases," Interior minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) told Radio 1. The federal judicial police in Antwerp had planned a meeting today about the man. "Whether that is a coincidence or not remains to be seen," said Verlinden, adding that it wasn't possible for him to have known about the meeting.
The National Crisis Centre will keep security measures in place for now. This involves increased vigilance and an increased visible police presence. The measures will be re-evaluated later in the day.
© BELGA PHOTO LOU LAMPAERT
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