Belgium’s Justice Minister, Vincent van Quickenborne, announced on Friday that he’s resigning. This comes after criticism about how Belgium managed the case of a Tunisian gunman who supported Islamic State and caused the death of two people in Brussels this week.
Van Quickenborne mentioned that an inquiry into the 45-year-old man from Tunisia, who killed two Swedish soccer fans in Brussels on Monday night, showed that Belgium’s justice system didn’t act on Tunisia’s request to bring him back in August 2022.
Van Quickenborne said, “This mistake is unacceptable and caused serious consequences. I’m taking complete political blame for this,” he stated while announcing his resignation.
In a social media video, the attacker identified himself as Abdesalem Al Guilani and admitted to the assault.
In 2019, he tried but failed to get asylum in Belgium and was staying there without permission. Earlier this week, Van Quickenborne mentioned that the Belgian police were aware of him for aiding illegal entry into Britain.
The shooter targeted Swedes who came to Brussels to watch Belgium play against Sweden in a European championship match. The game was stopped on Monday because of the shooting.
Belgium’s Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, called the shooting a “brutal terrorist attack.”
This happened during a time of high security concerns due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. However, Belgian authorities said the gunman seemed more motivated by incidents of burning the Quran in Sweden.
In August, Sweden raised its terrorism alert to the second-highest level after Quran burnings upset Muslims and led to threats from extremists.
FRANCE24