Brussels, Belgium – In a harrowing incident on Wednesday evening, four individuals sustained injuries in a shooting on Avenue de la Toison d’Or 3, as confirmed by the Brussels Capital/Ixelles police zone.
Authorities were alerted to the incident around 19:30, with police spokesperson Ilse Van de Keere providing a statement shortly after.
“Upon receiving reports of a shooting on Avenue de la Toison d’Or, our officers swiftly responded to the scene, discovering three casualties. A perimeter was immediately established,” stated Van de Keere.
Regrettably, by the time law enforcement arrived, the perpetrators had already fled the scene, complicating the ongoing investigation.
According to an update from police around 22:00 on Wednesday, the initial figure of three injuries was revised to four, with one victim’s life believed to be in danger.
The victims were located in different areas, with one near the Galerie Toison d’Or, a second found near the Apple Store, and a third in the Rue des Chevaliers.
Shockingly, among the wounded is a Swedish woman employed by the Moderate Party in the European Parliament, as reported by Swedish public broadcaster SVT, based on information from the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
MEP Tomas Tobé, a member of the same party, took to social media to inform the public that the thirty-year-old Swedish woman is currently out of danger.
Despite the severity of the incident, authorities have emphasized that, at this stage of the investigation, there is no indication that the shooting was a terrorist act.
Instead, the evidence suggests a possible connection to urban gangs.
Ixelles Mayor Christos Doulkeridis, present at the scene, supported this theory, indicating that the incident may be linked to a drug-related settling of scores.
Eyewitness accounts shed light on the chaotic aftermath of the shooting. Alain Gagnaire, manager of the Couleur Café brasserie inside the Galerie Toison d’Or, recounted the incident’s immediate aftermath.
“In the middle of the Avenue de la Toison d’Or, a man came with a gun and fired several shots, causing panic with around twenty people seeking refuge in the Galerie, including a woman with an injury to her right leg, a tourist.
I called the cops, and they came in droves, along with the fire brigade,” stated Gagnaire.
The fire brigade has reported that cameras in the shopping arcade were able to capture the incident, potentially providing crucial footage for the ongoing investigation.
In response to the severity of the incident, an attempted murder charge has been referred to an examining magistrate, underscoring the gravity of the situation as authorities work diligently to apprehend those responsible and bring them to justice.
The situation is rapidly evolving, and authorities continue to investigate the motives behind the shooting, urging anyone with information to come forward.
This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members
