Brussels: Gunman who killed two Swedes shot dead by police

A Tunisian gunman suspected of killing two Swedish football fans in Brussels died on Tuesday after being shot by police in a cafe, hours after an attack which Sweden’s prime minister said showed Europe must bolster security to protect itself.

The 45-year-old, who identified himself as a member of Islamic State and claimed responsibility in a video posted online, is also suspected of wounding another Swedish national in his attack in central Brussels on Monday night .

“This is a time for more security, we can’t be naive,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a news conference in Stockholm, calling for stricter border controls in Europe.

“These terrorists want to scare us into obedience and silence. That will not happen,” he said.

A Belgian federal prosecutor initially said there was no evidence that the attacker had any link to the renewed conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants, but that was no longer excluded, RTBF broadcaster said.

In August, Sweden raised its terrorism alert to the second-highest level and warned of an increase in threats against Swedes at home and abroad after Koran burnings outraged Muslims and triggered threats from jihadists.

Video footage of the attack posted on the Het Laatste Nieuws newspaper website showed a man in an orange jacket on a scooter at a street intersection with a rifle first firing five shots, then following people fleeing into a building before firing again.

“I saw the assailant enter the building and shoot twice towards the man – the man fell to the ground. I saw him fall because I was just nearby,” said a witness, who identified himself as Souleymane.

“I stayed there, I was frozen, I couldn’t move. I’m still shivering because of what happened.”

According to a media transcript of the video message recorded by the self-declared perpetrator, the attacker said he had killed Swedes to avenge Muslims.

The victims were a man aged around 70 from the Stockholm region, and a man aged about 60 who lived abroad, Sweden’s foreign ministry said, adding that the injured man, also around 70, was still in hospital.