Today marks one year since the terror attacks which killed two Swedish football fans in Brussels.
On 16 October 2023, Tunisian national Abdesalem Lassoued shot and killed two Swedish football fans who were in Brussels to attend a match at the King Baudouin Stadium.
Lassoued targeted the men as they exited a taxi on Boulevard d'Ypres near Place Sainctelette in the city centre: just a 20-minute walk from Grand Place. He chased the two victims into the lobby of a building and shot them dead, then returned to the street and fired at several cars. He then fled the scene on a scooter. A third Swedish man in his 70s was seriously injured, and the taxi driver now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The 45-year-old attacker posted about the shooting on social media and was apprehended and shot dead by police in a Schaerbeek café the following day. The Islamic State (ISIS) subsequently claimed responsibility for the murders Lassoued committed.
Outgoing Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) will lead a ceremony on Place Sainctelette at 10:00 on Wednesday to commemorate the victims. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will also be present.
Those in attendance will lay flowers, listen to a musical homage and observe one minute of silence to honour the dead.
Today, together with @SwedishPM we honor the memory of two beloved supporters taken too soon.
Vi står enade i sorg och beslutsamhet att bekämpa extremism, så att inga fler liv går förlorade till hat. pic.twitter.com/PFAKir1RdH — Alexander De Croo 🇧🇪🇪🇺 (@alexanderdecroo) October 16, 2024
Terror threat still 'severe'
The attack occurred in a fraught international context full of "emotional triggers", a spokesperson from the independent organisation the Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (CUTA) told The Brussels Times.
"The threat landscape has become blurrier than ever before because of the polarisation of society," he said, pointing to the outbreak of the war in Gaza and Qur'an burnings in Sweden at the time, as well as constant Islamic propaganda circulating online.
The site of the shooting on Boulevard d'Ypres, Monday 16 October 2023. Credit: Belga / Hatim Kaghat
The terror threat is still at level three out of four (considered "severe") given these ongoing international crises.
Lassoued had sought asylum in Belgium in 2019, but his application was rejected one year later. The then-Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne (CD&V) was forced to take responsibility for the failure to deport Lassoued and resigned from his post.
'I've never been the same'
One year on, the non-profit organisation Life for Brussels has released a statement calling for justice for the "forgotten victim" of the attacks: the taxi driver, who was classified as a victim of terrorism but was not compensated following the attack.
'Courage to the Swedish people'. Credit: Belga / Benoit Doppagne
"Since 16 October, I've never been the same," he stated through the organisation. "Every day is a struggle and sometimes I wonder how much longer I can go on."
"Legal loopholes at the time of the attack prevented any compensation," Life for Brussels continued. They are calling for the driver to be provided with the "recognition and support he deserves."
