Prime Ministers of Belgium and Sweden at the commemoration of the victims of the Brussels attack

This article was last updated on October 18, 2023

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Swedish Prime Minister attends memorial ceremony in Brussels

Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson attended a memorial ceremony in Brussels for the victims of Monday evening’s attack. Two Swedes were shot dead, a third was seriously injured.

Commemoration held at the site of the attack

The commemoration was held on Saincteletteplein, where the three were fired upon. Belgian Prime Minister De Croo and his Swedish counterpart laid flowers at the site of the attack. A large part of the Belgian government was present at the ceremony.

Condolences and European cooperation in the fight against extremism

After the commemoration, De Croo consulted with Kristersson and the President of the European Commission, Von der Leyen. At a press conference, he once again expressed his condolences to Sweden on behalf of the entire Belgian population. He also thanked Von der Leyen for coming. De Croo said that she is sending a signal of European cooperation in the fight against extremism.

Increasing security measures and addressing Europe’s external borders

Kristersson thanked Belgium for the good cooperation after the attack. He said many questions remain unanswered, but it appears to be an attack aimed at Sweden, “just because they are Swedes.” “They want to scare us, but we stick to our values.”

Kristersson again announced that he would increase security measures. He also said that yesterday in Sweden itself. “Anyone who stands firm in the areas of openness, democracy, tolerance and freedom must also stand firm when it comes to security.”

The perpetrator of the attack was a rejected Tunisian asylum seeker. The 45 year old Abdesalem L. continued to live illegally in Belgium after his rejection. De Croo points out that this problem must be tackled at a European level. Both prime ministers argue for stricter controls at Europe’s external borders and a better coordinated return policy.

Questions in the Belgian federal parliament

In the Belgian federal parliament, MPs can ask questions to Prime Minister De Croo and others this afternoon. The suspect had previously been in the custody of the justice system, there were signals that he had been radicalized and he was also prosecuted for criminal offenses in Tunisia. Local residents in the Brussels district of Schaarbeek, where he lived with his wife and daughter, characterize him as a friendly man.

Victims were football supporters

The victims, one in their sixties and two in their seventies, were football fans who wanted to attend Belgium’s European Championship qualifier against Sweden. That match was stopped at halftime at the request of the players, due to the attack and the safety of the supporters.

The European Football Association UEFA must decide whether the match will be completed. The chairman of the Belgian Football Association, Manu Leroy, argued in favor of changing the 1-1 halftime score of the halted match. to make the final score.