An illegal alien from the north African country of Tunisia opened fire in Brussels Monday evening, killing two Swedes and critically wounding a third in an apparent act of terrorism. The suspected terrorist, 45-year-old Abdesalem Lassoued, allegedly claimed online that his bloodletting was partly a response to the murder of a 6-year-old Palestinian boy outside Chicago over the weekend.

Armed officers caught up with Lassoued early Tuesday and blew him away.

The attacker

Belgian broadcaster RTBF reported that the gunman had been living illegally in Schaerbeek, Belgium. Lassoued applied for asylum in 2019 but was denied.

Lassoued was known to the police for human trafficking, illegal residency, and endangering state security.

RTBF noted that a foreign service had designated Lassoued as a radical in 2016, as he was apparently keen on traveling to a conflict zone to wage jihad. He was also previously accused of a terrorism conviction in his homeland of Tunisia.

The CIA Factbook indicates that Tunisia is a 99% Sunni Muslim country and home to various Islamic terror factions, including Ansar al-Sharia, ISIS, and al Qaeda.

The New York Times indicated that despite knowing about the Islamist's possible radicalization and criminal activity for at least seven years, authorities failed to act on the intelligence.

Belgian Asylum State Secretary Nicole de Moor indicated that following his failed asylum application, Lassoued disappeared before he could be deported.

The attack

A soccer match was scheduled between Sweden and Belgium Monday evening. The victims, Swedish nationals dressed in their home colors, were among the roughly 35,000 people headed to northern Brussels to watch the Euro 2024 qualifier.

Footage of the attack shows a man in a reflective vest and a white helmet chasing down and firing an automatic rifle at a trio who had just exited a taxi near Place Sainctelette. He follows the victims into a building, then guns them down.

The attacker reportedly fled the scene on a scooter.

Belgium's Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden said Tuesday morning, "Our country was hit by a cowardly and heinous terrorist act which cost the lives of two Swedes."

Eric Van Duyse, a spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office, indicated "this person claims to be inspired by Islamic State," adding there were claims circulating on social media that the shooter had specifically mentioned the victims' Swedish nationality after the fact, reported the Washington Post.

The Daily Mail reported that in one video, the gunman referred to himself as "Slayem Slouma" and claimed he had aimed to avenge the killing of a 6-year-old Palestinian boy in Illinois. The boy in question, Wadea Al-Fayoume, was stabbed 26 times on Saturday.

RTBF further indicated that in the video, the apparent shooter said the Quran is "a red line for which he is ready to sacrifice himself."

There have been numerous Quran burnings in Sweden over the past year, primarily by Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika, who saw it as an opportunity to "express [his] opinion."

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told reporters Tuesday morning, "Last night, three people left for what was supposed to be a wonderful soccer party. Two of them lost their lives in a brutal terrorist attack. ... Their lives were cut short in full flight, cut down by extreme brutality."

The response

Following the attack, security measures were taken to protect other Swedish supporters in the soccer stadium. The game was ultimately canceled.

Belgium's terrorist threat was raised to level 4 in Brussels, the highest level, and to level 3 in the rest of the country, reported Euronews.

Sweden followed suit, raising its terror alert level to its second-highest level and warning Swedes in Belgium "to be vigilant and to carefully listen to instructions from the Belgian authorities."

Heavily armed Belgian police finally caught up with the gunman around 8 a.m. Tuesday at a Schaerbeek cafe, which had been searched the night before as part of the manhunt for Lassoued. In the encounter, police shot the suspected terrorist in the chest.

The Daily Mail indicated that an automatic rifle was found on Lassoued's person and the scooter used by the shooter to flee the initial carnage was towed away.

Lassoued was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

"The perpetrator of the terrorist attack in Brussels has been identified and died. We thank the intelligence and security services as well as the prosecution for their rapid and decisive intervention last night and this morning," said Verlinden.

Prime Minister De Croo called the shooting a "cowardly attack," offering his condolences to the Swedish prime minister and stressing that "the fight against terrorism is a joint one."

Swedish Foreign Affairs Minister Tobias Billström wrote, "Devastated by the news of two Swedish football supporters murdered in Brussels tonight and a third person being seriously wounded. All my thoughts are with their families and loved ones.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson noted his government was "working closely with relevant agencies and international partners," adding, "Together we stand united against terrorism."

This attack comes over a week after Hamas waged terror attacks on Israel and days after a suspected Islamic terrorist butchered a French teacher in Arras, France, and stabbed two others, prompting French President Emmanuel Macron to lament the "barbarity of Islamic terrorism."

Belgium is no stranger to such barbarity.

Islamist suicide bombers attacked the Brussels Zaventem airport in March 2016, killing 32 people and wounding over 300.

Last year, an Islamist who had been on a list of potential extremists fatally stabbed a police officer in Brussels while yelling "Allahu akbar."

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