Brussels ‘on highest terror alert’ and football fans told to stay in stadium after two shot dead
Police in Belgium have launched a manhunt after two Swedish people were shot dead in a terror attack in Brussels.
The shooting caused Belgium’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Sweden to be abandoned at half-time on Monday night.
Fans were also kept in the stadium as armed officers searched for the suspected shooter – who has not yet been found.
The shooting took place about three miles (5km) from the 50,000-seater King Baudouin Stadium shortly after 7pm local time – around 45 minutes before kick-off.
Shortly after, a man who claimed to be the shooter appeared on social media in a video in which he claimed to be a member of Islamic State (IS) and a “fighter for Allah”.
A map showing the location of the shooting and the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels
He also claimed he had carried out the attack in “revenge in the name of Muslims”.
One Belgium newspaper said a witness heard the shooter shout “Allahu Akbar” – “God is great” in Arabic – before the shots were fired.
Another video, reported to be of the incident, which has not been verified by Sky News, showed a gunman in a fluorescent orange jacket and a white helmet chasing a man into a building before shooting at him.
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Moments before fatal Brussels shooting
Belgium’s interior minister, Annelies Verlinden, said the suspect was “actively being tracked down”.
Belgium’s National Crisis Centre raised the terror alert in the city to the highest level on Monday night. It was also moved to the second highest for the rest of Belgium.
A spokesperson for Belgium’s federal prosecutor’s office told reporters that the investigation was focusing on “a possible terrorist motivation for the shooting”.
Eric Van Duyse said: “During the evening, a claim of responsibility was posted on social media, having been recorded by a person claiming to be the assailant. This person claims to be inspired by Islamic State.”
He said the Swedish nationality of the victims had been put forward as the probable motive for the attack – but said there was nothing to suggest a possible link with the current situation between Israel and Gaza.
Forensic teams at the scene
A police spokesperson confirmed that two people had been killed in a shooting, but declined to give further details.
The country’s prime minister, Alexander de Croo, meanwhile, appeared to link the incident to terrorism.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he wrote: “I have just offered my sincere condolences to the Swedish prime minister following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels.
“Our thoughts are with the families and friends who lost their loved ones. As close partners, the fight against terrorism is a joint one.”
In an earlier post, he offered his “deepest condolences” to the relatives of those killed in what he described as a “cowardly attack”.
He also urged the residents of Brussels to “be vigilant”.
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Swedish justice minister, Gunnar Strommer, said his government was working with authorities in Belgium “to get more information about what happened”.
Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, urged Swedes in Belgium to stay vigilant and follow the instructions of the local authorities.
Sweden fans at the game at the King Baudouin Stadium
A Belgian supporter is comforted in the stands. Pic: AP
Meanwhile, France’s President Emmanuel Macron described the incident as an “Islamist terrorist attack”.
Speaking in Albania on Monday evening – days after his own country was rocked by the fatal stabbing of a teacher in a suspected terror attack – Mr Macron said: “Europe is being shaken”.
The shooting in Brussels took place near Boulevard d’Ypres – in an area to the north of the city centre.
The area is around three miles (5km) from the King Baudouin Stadium, where the Euro 2024 qualifier was held.
A UEFA spokesperson confirmed the game had been suspended on Monday.
In a statement, UEFA said: “Following a suspected terrorist attack in Brussels this evening, it has been decided, after consultation with the two teams and the local police authorities, that the qualifying match between Belgium and Sweden is abandoned.”
Fans leave the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels
Sweden coach Janne Andersson later told Swedish website Fotbollskanalen: “We can’t play football in this situation. We and Belgium completely agree that we shouldn’t play.”
Laura Demullier, of Belgium’s OCAD anti-terror centre, said getting the thousands of football fans attending the match safely out of the stadium was their top priority.
Over two hours after the game was suspended, a message flashed on the big stadium screen which said: “Fans, you can leave the stadium calmly.”
Sweden has in recent months faced rioting following a string of Koran-burning incidents in both Sweden and neighbouring Denmark.
Muslim leaders in Sweden have called on the government to find ways to stop the Koran burnings, but police have allowed them, citing freedom of speech.
World
Jay Slater: Tenerife police call for volunteers to take part in large-scale search for missing British teenager
Police in Tenerife have called for volunteers to take part in a large-scale search for missing British teenager Jay Slater.
Officials said it would take place on Saturday in the village of Masca on the Spanish island.
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Volunteers called for in Jay Slater search
In a statement, police said: “The Guardia Civil prepares and coordinates a large search to find the young British man missing in the village of Masca.
“The collaboration of all those volunteer associations is requested: Civil protection, firefighters, etc., and even private volunteers who are experts in the abrupt search terrain.
“The massive search will be carried out on Saturday, 29 June from 9am.
“Bearing in mind that this is an abrupt, rocky area, full of unevenness and with a multitude of ravines, paths and roads, the collaboration of all those associations of volunteers who can help in this raid that is intended to be carried out in a directed and coordinated manner is requested,” the statement said.
The Los Carrizales ravine which was being searched by police. Pic: Reuters
Canarian police officers carry out a drone search in the Los Carrizales ravine. Pic: Reuters
Police said volunteers should call the Guardia Civil before 8pm this evening if they want to join the search.
The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared following an attempt to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus.
The apprentice bricklayer had attended the NRG music festival on the island with two friends before his disappearance and was last heard from on Monday last week.
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Police search mountains for Jay Slater
The walk from Mr Slater’s last known location, Rural de Teno Park in the north of the island, to his accommodation would have taken about 11 hours on foot.
Map showing Jay Slater’s last known location in Masca, Los Carrizales where police are searching and Los Cristianos, where Jay was staying
Meanwhile, one of Mr Slater’s friends told ITV’s This Morning about his last video call with the 19-year-old.
Brad, a close friend of Mr Slater, said yes to the reporter’s question as to whether he saw the missing teenager’s feet slide on rocks. He said that is how he knew Mr Slater was not on a road, and described the sound as when someone is walking on gravel or stones.
Brad added that Mr Slater went down a “little drop” in one of his last video calls.
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He said the missing teenager was not concerned and that they were both “laughing” about the situation.
“He said, ‘look where I am’. He didn’t seem concerned on the phone until we knew how far away he were,” Brad said.
“I said, ‘put your location on’. He said: ’15-minute drive, 14-hour walk’. I don’t know if it’s accurate or not so I said to him: ‘It’s only a 15-minute drive, get a taxi’.”
Today’s police statement comes as Mr Slater’s family welcomed the help of a TikTok creator among those leading an online search for the missing teenager.
Sky News spoke earlier this week to Paul Arnott, who has been sharing clips of his own search effort on TikTok and said he came to Tenerife when he heard the family “needed help”.
According to The Daily Telegraph, his efforts attracted the interest of Mr Slater’s family, who contacted him and arranged a meeting on Thursday.
Jay Slater is an apprentice bricklayer. Pic: PH Build Group
“They said they’re really proud of what I’m doing,” Mr Arnott, 29, told the newspaper.
Mr Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, told the paper she has “every faith” in the police and singled out Mr Arnott, who runs the TikTok account Down the Rapids and describes himself as an “explorer”, and another TikTok creator Callum Rahim for thanks.
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Spanish authorities remain silent on missing teen
Emergency services using drones hone in on area
“[I] can’t thank Paul Arnott enough, also Callum Rahim and his friends for working alongside with the search and rescue teams,” she said.
“Myself, well, you know the state of my mental health and my paranoia, you saw it first hand. As a family, we are in a living nightmare.”
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Social media has also had a dark side for the family, with Ms Duncan and her son’s friends at the centre of conspiracy theories.
The construction company that employs Mr Slater shared a post on Facebook earlier on Thursday urging people to stop sending them “cruel” emails and to stop posting theories online.
Also on Thursday, Ms Duncan said £36,000 raised by more than 3,200 donations will help cover her accommodation and food costs during her extended stay on the island as well as support rescue teams.
A British man has died off the Greek island of Spetses.
He had been taking part in a yachting regatta and authorities said he was found dead on Friday.
The man, who was in his forties, was found in a bay area of the island with what appeared to be injuries on the left side of his head, according to the coastguard.
The Greek island, which is part of the Saronic Islands group, has an area of 27km² and is home to just over 3,700 people.
The coastguard added that he was taken to a local hospital where he was confirmed dead.
Local media reported the man was part of a team taking part in an annual classic yacht regatta running from 26 to 29 June.
Tourist deaths
A postmortem will be carried out to determine the cause of death.
There have been several recent cases where tourists have gone missing or died on Greek islands.
Earlier this month, TV medic Dr Michael Mosley was found dead after going missing on the island of Symi.
He had gone for a walk on his own from Saint Nikolas Beach and his wife said he had “so very nearly made it”.
The body of an American man was found on the Greek island of Mathraki.
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It comes after Greece has experienced severe heatwaves in recent weeks.
Some local media outlets have urged officials to tell tourists about the dangers of setting off on hikes in intense heat.
Temperatures reached 45C (113F) earlier this month, as schools in Athens closed their doors and Rhodes was hit by an earthquake.
One person has been killed and six more have been injured in India after part of the roof at an airport collapsed in heavy rain.
The incident at the domestic departure terminal of New Delhi‘s Indira Gandhi International Airport happened at around 5am local time on Friday as heavy pre-monsoon rains lashed the capital.
A crew removes water outside the airport on Friday. Pic: AP
All flight departures from Terminal 1 were temporarily suspended as rescuers cleared the debris to save anyone trapped, the airport authority said.
The collapsed roof at the domestic departure terminal. Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Some support beams also collapsed, damaging cars in the pickup and drop-off area of the terminal, local media reported.
Of the six injured, one was rescued from a car on which an iron beam had fallen.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu said first responders were working at the site and advised airlines to assist all affected passengers.
“Rescue operations are still ongoing,” he said in a post on X.
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