Assault in Brussels: a person arrested in France

A person was arrested Thursday in France in reference to the investigation opened in Belgium after the assault which price the lives of two Swedes on Monday in Brussels, sources near the case stated this Friday, October 20.

Belgian investigators are searching for to find out whether or not the perpetrator of the assault, Abdesalem Lassoued, who was shot lifeless by Belgian police on Tuesday, was in touch with others radicalized in different European nations.

The French nationwide anti-terrorism prosecutor’s workplace (Pnat) indicated on Friday night that it had opened an investigation on Tuesday for prison terrorist affiliation, “following data despatched to us by the Belgian judicial authorities” about this assault.

“It’s on this context that the arrest of a person passed off yesterday (Thursday)” within the division of Loire-Atlantique (west) who was positioned in police custody, added the Pnat, with out additional particulars “in an effort to protect ongoing investigations”.

The person arrested in Nantes had obtained, earlier than the act passed off on Monday round 7 p.m., the video claiming his double homicide by Lassoued, stated one of many sources near the case, confirming data from the every day “Ouest -France “. The identification of the suspect has not been specified. He would even be Tunisian, like Abdesalem Lassoued, based on “Ouest-France”.

Resignation of the Belgian Minister of Justice

As of Tuesday, the federal prosecutor of Belgium, Frédéric Van Leeuw, affirmed that the state of affairs of the radicalized having acted in ” lone wolf “ was favored by the investigators. However it’s essential ” shut all of the doorways “one other supply near the matter instructed AFP.

Belgium gave “a number of data in a number of nations” on individuals who had not too long ago been in touch with the Brussels attacker, added this supply, citing France and Germany. It’s then as much as the authorities of those nations to examine whether or not or not these profiles are prone to be of curiosity to the Belgian investigation, it was argued.

Monday’s assault, which occurred close to downtown Brussels shortly earlier than a soccer match between Belgium and Sweden, focused Swedish followers. The assailant killed two of them in chilly blood with an AR-15 automated rifle, and injured a 3rd, earlier than fleeing on a scooter. He was situated Tuesday morning in a café within the Brussels municipality of Schaerbeek, the place he was fatally injured by police gunfire. His weapon was discovered.

Since 2011, Abdesalem Lassoued had requested asylum in 4 European nations, in Norway, Sweden, Italy then Belgium, a request every time refused. He was recognized to the Belgian authorities for crimes however was not listed within the database of Ocam, the federal company chargeable for analyzing the terrorist risk.

In his protest video, the 45-year-old Tunisian stated he was impressed by the Islamic State group. The group claimed accountability for the assault on Tuesday night, stressing that it had focused Sweden due to its membership in a worldwide anti-jihadist coalition.

Belgian Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne introduced his resignation from the federal government on Friday night. He defined that he discovered on Friday that Tunisia had requested in August 2022 the extradition of the creator of the assault, Abdesalem Lassoued, a request which was not processed. “It’s a person, monumental and unacceptable fault”stated the minister quoted by the Belga press company.