A shooting at a café in the Brussels district of Sint-Gillis has left two people dead and two others in a critical condition, the Zuid police zone has confirmed.
The shooting took place at Astoria in Argonnenstraat close to Brussels Zuid station between 1.00 and 2.00 on Thursday morning. An investigation is under way.
The two people who died were a 44-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman. Two men in their 40s remain in hospital with life-threatening injuries. A fifth person, a man in his 30s, was also hospitalised, but his injuries are not said to be critical.
The perpetrators allegedly fired Kalashnikovs at random people on the terrace. A settling of scores between drug dealers is a possible reason for the attack, although the victims are not thought to have any link to drugs.
Brussels, and particularly the area around Zuid station, has long been plagued by drug-related violence. Seven people were killed and 130 seriously injured last year in drug-related violence, often due to rival gangs vying for territory.
Earlier this week, a major police operation in the Peterbos neighbourhood of Anderlecht broke up a criminal organisation that wanted to take over the Brussels drugs market, but it is not clear if Thursday’s shooting is related.
The perpetrators fled the scene and there have been no arrests.