Two people were shot dead in Brussels Monday during a possible ISIS terror attack in retaliation for a 6-year-old Muslim boy who was killed in Illinois.
The man claimed in a video on social media that he was the assailant and that he was from the Islamic State.
The attack was allegedly revenge after a Chicago-area landlord allegedly stabbed and killed a 6-year-old boy and seriously wounded his mother, allegedly because the tenants are Muslim.
The landlord, 71-year-old Joseph M. Czuba, was arrested and charged with murder and hate crimes.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo confirmed on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the victims were Swedish, but not their number, which the assailant, calling himself Abdesalem Al Guilani and a fighter for Allah, put at three, rather than two.
“I have just offered my sincere condolences to the Swedish PM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels,” de Croo said on X.
“Our thoughts are with the families and friends who lost their loved ones. As close partners the fight against terrorism is a joint one,” he said.
One Belgian newspaper said it was likely that the victims were two soccer supporters.
Belgium are hosting Sweden in a Euro 2024 qualifying match on Monday evening.
A police spokesperson confirmed that two people had been killed in a shooting incident near the center of the Belgian capital but declined to give further details.
