TERRORIST killer Abdesalem Lassoued dodged being deported from Belgium and was allegedly known to police as a threat to the public and a notorious human trafficker.
The self-proclaimed ISIS extremist was shot dead by police in Brussels after killing two football fans in a horror rampage last night using a motorcycle and an assault rifle.
Abdesalam Lassoued, a suspected ISIS terrorist, shot two people dead in Brussels
The suspected gunman used a scooter and a large gun in the terror attack before being shot by police 12 hours later
The tragic incident was caught on video and instantly went viral
A horrifying viral video shared online showed a man in an orange fluorescent jacket pull up on a scooter, take out a large gun and open fire on passersby before chasing them into a building.
Two Swedish fans died and a third victim was wounded before the gunman vanished into the night.
It happened as thousands of football supporters were heading to watch Belgium against Sweden in a Euro 2024 qualifier.
The killer was on the run from police overnight but was tracked down to a cafe and fatally shot.
Who was Abdesalem Lassoued ?
The alleged shooter is from Tunisia and was living in Schaerbeek, Belgium, illegally.
He called himself Abdesalem in videos found online after the shooting and is believed to be 45 years old.
Belgian’s Prime Minister revealed in an emergency press conference that the suspect applied for asylum in 2019, but was rejected a year later.
Asylum State Secretary Nicole de Moor went on to say he “disappeared from the radar” after he was refused.
In 2021 the Tunisian was ordered to leave Belgium and removed from the state registry.
However authorities had lost track of his whereabouts and he was able to dodge being deported until last night’s horror.
This was despite alleged threats he made to another asylum seeker in early 2023, sparking a police investigation.
Lassoued is said to be well known to police in his home country for his role in human trafficking and endangering state security.
Belgian Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne revealed that in 2016 they were made aware in intelligence reports that he was “ready to fight for jihad” and had been radicalised by terrorist groups.
At the time “dozens of daily reports” were coming into Belgium about potential threats so nothing was done.
He was allegedly convicted of a number of crimes in Tunisia and showed aggression in Belgium asylum centres.
Quickenborne made it clear that Belgium was told he was convicted of common law acts in Tunisia and not terrorism.
The minister said: “There was therefore no imminent terrorist threat detected”.
Is Abdesalem Lassoued linked to ISIS?
The suspected killer claimed to have links with ISIS in twisted videos posted on Facebook after the murders.
One of the videos shows an Arabic-speaking man saying he carried out the brutal attack in the name of God and admitted to killing three people.
According to translations the suspect said: “My name is Abdesalem and I am a fighter for Allah.
“I am from the Islamic State. We love who loves us and we hate who hates us.
“We live for our religion and we die for our religion.”
Federal Prosecutors said the alleged gunman used the name Slayem Slouma to post a “revenge” message on Facebook before the attack.
He mentioned about a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy who was stabbed 26 times in Chicago in an alleged race hate murder.
He claimed if the boy was white the crime would have been called terrorism.
Eric Van Duyse, spokesman for the federal prosecutor’s office, said there was “a possible terrorist motivation for the shooting.”
He continued: “During the evening, a claim of responsibility was posted on social media, having been recorded by a person claiming to be the assailant.
“This person claims to be inspired by Islamic State.
“At this time, no element indicates a possible link with the Israeli-Palestinian situation.”
Duyse also noted: “The Swedish nationality of the victims was put forward as the probable motive for the act.”
Many Muslims were angered in 2020 when videos emerged online of Swedes burning the Koran, Islam’s holy book.
Sweden raised its terror level after threats came from jihadis promising to get revenge.
What happened during the Brussels terrorist attack?
Two victims – both wearing Sweden football shirts – were killed moments before their team’s Euro 2024 qualifier match against Belgium, while a third was injured.
Viral video shared online shows the alleged gunman, wearing an orange jacket and a white helmet, pull up on a scooter next to a group of fans.
He took out a large rifle and fired several times in the street before chasing the supporters, who had taken cover in the entrance hall of a building.
The injured man, thought to be a taxi driver, was said to be in a stable condition.
The shooting began around 7.15pm – just 30 minutes before kick off – less than three miles from the King Baudouin Stadium.
After the scary video of the killer gunman prowling around Brussels was seen online by millions, football authorities decided to stop the game before the second half.
Fans were barricaded in the stadium until 10.50pm over fears that terrorists were targeting Swedish fans.
The alleged shooter was then the target of a manhunt around Brussels for 12 hours overnight.
This morning, Belgian authorities confirmed cops hunting the man had shot a suspect in a cafe in the Schaerbeek neighbourhood of Brussels.
Reports later confirmed the man had died in hospital.
Brussels mayor Philippe Close told BFM TV: “It seems indeed the suspect has been neutralised.”
GettyPolice reportedly fatally shot the suspected killer this morning at a cafe[/caption]
Lassoued posted videos after the attack to social media saying he did it for Allah and is from ISIS
The terror suspect fleeing the scene in his orange hi-vis clothes
AlamyHe was known to police as a terror threat to the public and a notorious human trafficker[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
