Police shoot gunman accused of killing 2 Swedish soccer fans in Brussels

Police in Belgium on Tuesday shot dead a suspected Tunisian man accused of killing two Swedish soccer fans in a brazen shooting on a Brussels street.

Hours after a manhunt began in the Belgian capital, Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden posted on X, formerly Twitter, that "the perpetrator of the terrorist attack in Brussels has been identified and has died."

She thanked Belgium's intelligence and security services, as well as the public prosecutor's office, "for their swift and decisive action last night and this morning."

The man was shot by police in the Schaerbeek neighbourhood near where the rampage took place. The weapon used in the assault was recovered, officials said.

Amateur videos posted on social media of Monday's attack showed a man wearing an orange fluorescent vest pulling up on a scooter, taking out a large weapon and opening fire on people getting out of a taxi before chasing them into a building to gun them down. He was also filmed calmly loading his weapon as cars drove slowly by.

Questions remain unanswered over how a man who was on police files, thought to be radicalized and being sought for deportation was able to launch such an attack.

"Last night, three people left for what was supposed to be a wonderful soccer party. Two of them lost their lives in a brutal terrorist attack," Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said at a news conference just before dawn.

"Their lives were cut short in full flight, cut down by extreme brutality."

De Croo said his thoughts were with the victims' families and that he had sent his condolences to the Swedish prime minister. Security has been beefed up in the capital, particularly around places linked to the Swedish community in the city.

"The attack that was launched