At arrest of a suspect for the terrorist attack that claimed the lives of at least two people yesterday, Monday in Brussels, the authorities proceeded in the morning. Early this morning a man was shot by police in a cafe in the suburbs Sherbeek of Brussels. This is confirmed by the public prosecutor’s office, according to Belgian media.

The suspect in the deadly shootings in Brussels is a 45-year-old Tunisian who sought asylum in Belgium in November 2019, Justice Minister Vincent van Quickenborn announced at a press conference. “This person was known to the police for suspicious activity, human trafficking and illegal residence.” The man was reportedly convicted in Tunisia of common criminal law offenses and not of terrorism, as previously reported by various Belgian media.

Interior Minister Anneliese Verlinden spoke of “horrific events” at the press conference. The minister emphasized that the security services are doing everything they can to identify the perpetrator. “We are united against terrorism and we will always be stronger,” Verlinden said.

The alert level has been raised

The alert level in Brussels was raised to 4 after the attack, which is the highest level. “This means that there will be an increased police presence and that there will be extra security for sensitive areas, for example areas of the Swedish community,” De Cro said. There will be additional checks. He urged everyone to be on “extra vigilance”.

Alert level 3 is in place for the rest of the country, where additional checks will be carried out. The measures will be reassessed later today and at 4 p.m. (Greece time) when a security council will be held.

The 45-year-old radicalized Tunisian is in Belgium illegally

According to RTBF, the suspect in the shooting in Brussels is 45-year-old Abdesalem L., a man of Tunisian origin who lives in Serbeek, and is said to be living illegally in Belgium.

In a video in which the man, with a thick Tunisian accent, claimed responsibility for the attack, he said he was a member of Islamic State. In Arabic he says he killed three Swedes. His home in Serbeek was under search all night.

His action was not directly related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, although he mentioned the Islamophobic killing of a little boy in the United States on the Facebook account where he posted the video. The suspect reportedly acted alone.