Spanish police say detain fugitive wanted over 2023 Brussels 'terrorist attack'

Spanish police on Saturday announced the arrest of a man wanted in Belgium over his suspected role in an October 2023 “terrorist attack” in Brussels which claimed the lives of two Swedes.

The man is suspected of having provided the attacker with the gun which he used to shoot at people in central Brussels before a football match between Belgium and Sweden was about to start, police said in a statement, adding that he had been arrested at Malaga airport on Friday as he tried to leave Spain.

“The fugitive could face a life sentence as he is wanted by the Belgian authorities for the crimes of terrorist attack, murder and grievous bodily harm,” it added.

The gunman, wearing a high-visibility orange jacket, opened fire on Swedes, killing two of them and wounding a third, before fleeeing on a scooter and leading police on an overnight manhunt.

He was eventually cornered and fatally wounded when Belgian police moved to detain him in a cafe.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said at the time that the gunman was of Tunisian origin and had been living in the country illegally.

In a social media post after the killings, the attacker boasted of being inspired by the Islamic State extremist group and indicated that the Swedish nationality of his victims was a motivation.

The attack came after Sweden in August 2023 raised its terror alert to the second-highest level, warning of an increase in threats against Swedish interests abroad, after Koran burnings and other acts in the country against Islam’s holiest text outraged Muslims and triggered threats from jihadists.

The incident triggered dismay in Brussels, where the Belgium-Sweden international match was called off at half-time, and also in the dead fans’ homeland.

Some 35,000 fans were evacuated from the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels and offiicers escorted Sweden’s players directly to the airport to leave safely