IS group claims responsibility for Brussels shooting that killed two Swedes
The Hindu
‘An Islamic State fighter carried out an attack against’ Swedish nationals on Monday, IS said in a statement issued on the jihadists’ news arm Amaq, adding that, ‘the attack comes in the context of operations called for by the Islamic State to target nationals of coalition countries’
The Islamic State group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a shooting in Brussel’s that killed two Swedes, saying the attack targeted Sweden for its membership in a global coalition battling jihadists.
“An Islamic State fighter carried out an attack against” Swedish nationals on Monday, IS said in a statement issued on the jihadists’ news arm Amaq, adding that, “the attack comes in the context of operations called for by the Islamic State to target nationals of coalition countries”.
The man, of Tunisian origin living illegally in Belgium, gunned down two Swedes and injured a third on Monday evening on a street, just before the start of a Belgium-Sweden international football match.
The man -- identified in media reports as 45-year-old Tunisian migrant Abdesalem Lassoued -- was cornered and fatally wounded early on Tuesday, when Belgian police moved to detain him in a cafe.
The attacker had served a prison sentence in Sweden during the period 2012-2014, Swedish officials revealed Tuesday.
Also read | Belgium-Sweden football match halted following gunman attack in Brussels
In a social media post after the killings, the gunman had boasted of being inspired by the IS group.
With a new government in place in Delhi, Singapore hopes to schedule the Ministerial Roundtable with India shortly, says Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. In an exclusive interview, he speaks about the impact of the elections on ties, the “missed opportunity” of RCEP and the new buzz around Andhra Pradesh’s capital Amaravati.