[BREAKING] 2 Swedes Killed in Shooting Incident in Brussels

[BREAKING] 2 Swedes Dead in Shooting Incident in Brussels

(Photo: HATIM KAGHAT/Belga/AFP via Getty Images) Belgium police stand at the site of a shooting incident in the Ieperlaan - Boulevard d'Ypres, in Brussels, on October 16, 2023. Two people were killed during a shooting in Brussels on October 16, 2023 evening and the suspect was on the run, the Belgian capital's prosecutor's office said.

Two people were killed in a shooting incident in central Brussels on Monday night (October 16). According to Belgian police and local media, amateur videos show a man shooting several times near a station using a prominently visible weapon.

Belgian broadcasters have also identified the two victims as Swedes, who police alleged were supposed to be watching Sweden's football team playing against Belgium in a Euro 2024 qualifier later in the evening at Heysel Stadium, about 5 kilometers from the scene.

The gunman - who was allegedly wearing a fluorescent orange jacket and white helmet, spoke Arabic and said he carried out the attack in the name of God - has fled the scene and remains at large.

Police spokeswoman Ilse Vande Keere said officers arrived soon at the scene and sealed off the immediate neighborhood. She declined to elaborate on the circumstances of the shooting, the Associated Press reported.

The shooting came at a time when the whole world was under increased vigilance linked to the ongoing Israel-Hamas War. The Belgian capital has also witnessed an increased amount of violence linked to increasing international drug trafficking.

This is a developing story. Please follow HNGN for more updates.