Mathieu Van Overstraeten, along with his daughter and her boyfriend, was watching Belgium play Sweden in their Euro 2024 qualifier match in Brussels when they received a warning about a possible shooting in the city. The game was abandoned shortly after, and the crowd was advised to stay in the stadium. Mobile phone networks quickly became overwhelmed as people tried to get updates from outside the stadium.
Just a few kilometers away, two Swedish nationals had been shot dead in the street. The Federal Belgium prosecutor revealed that the suspected assailant, who was still at large, claimed in a video on social media that he was fighting for Allah.
The prosecutor stated that the victims’ Swedish nationality was likely the motive for the attack. In August, Sweden raised its terror alert level to the second-highest, citing increased threats against Swedish interests abroad following incidents involving the burning of the Quran and other acts targeting Islam’s holy text, which had angered Muslims and attracted threats from jihadists.
Van Overstraeten mentioned that the crowd chanted “all together” and “Sweden” while waiting for updates. The match was abandoned at halftime with a score of 1-1. Olaf Gill, a spokesperson for the European Commission, read the news and left the stadium still wearing his Sweden jersey.
Gill tweeted: “Helicopters, armed police everywhere. Police advised: ‘Don’t show your colors’. Zipped up jacket. Sad night in Brussels.”
As the temperature dropped, the remaining crowd inside the stadium sat quietly, awaiting news about an evacuation. Van Overstraeten said they had limited information, and every 10 to 15 minutes, the speaker thanked the crowd for their patience and urged them to remain calm.
One fan stated that dozens of Swedish supporters were still inside the stadium at 1:30 a.m. (1130 GMT), waiting for a police escort to leave.
Reported by Richard Lough and Tommy Lund; Edited by Richard Lough and Stephen Coates
