“Terrorist suspect known to Belgian security services”

The suspect is a 45 Tunisian national, who applied for asylum in Belgium in 2019.  His application was turned down in 2020.  “Shortly afterwards he disappeared from the radar” says Belgian asylum secretary Nicole de Moor.  At no time did he spend any time in a Belgium asylum centre. In February 2021 the Tunisian was removed from the Belgian state register and a month later issued with an order to leave Belgium.

A video is currently circulating on social media showing a man resembling the suspect and wearing a Hi-Viz jacket.  In Arabic he says that he has just shot three Swedish nationals and acted in revenge.  He also claims membership of the terrorist outfit IS. VRT has as yet been unable to verify the footage.

Known to the security services

“The suspect was known to the Belgian security services in connection with suspicious actions, people-trafficking, illegal residence in the country and posing a threat to state security” says Belgian justice minister Van Quickenborne.

In July 2016 Belgium received unconfirmed information from a foreign police service claiming that the suspect had radicalised and was ready to leave for a conflict zone.  Mr Van Quickenborne says the claims were checked but that nothing further could be done with the information.  It’s unclear whether the suspect was living in Belgium at this time or whether the information was handed to several intelligence services.

The suspect did not feature on Belgium’s OCAD list of terror suspects.  Minister Van Quickenborne says Belgian officials found no indications the suspect had radicalised.

There are reports that the suspect used social media to threaten a resident of an asylum centre in the Kempen District earlier this year. The alleged victim claimed the suspect had earlier been convicted in Tunisia for terrorism offences but that proved to be untrue. The Tunisians confirmed the suspect had been convicted of other offences.