Breaking news as of 3:30 EST:
[Warning: Violence]
From The Brussel Times:
Based on images taken by a local resident, a man can be seen wearing a bright orange jacket and a white helmet, holding an automatic rifle, and climbing onto a scooter to flee the scene. He reportedly shot first at someone in the entrance hall of a building before firing at two individuals in a taxi. According to Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws the two victims were from Sweden.
In a video posted on social media, a man believed to be the attacker pledged his support to the Islamic State and talked of "murdering infidels" and "avenging the Muslims".
The suspect is still at large.
It is extremely difficult to obtain a weapons permit in Belgium, let alone for the "automatic" rifle he was reportedly using (it didn't sound like a full auto in the recording, but other accounts say it was an AK variant). Interesting that the bad guys don't obey gun laws, huh?
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo posted the following to social media:
My deepest condolences to the relatives of the cowardly assassination attempt in Brussels. I monitor developments together with the Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs from the national crisis center. We are monitoring the situation and would like to ask the residents of Brussels to be vigilant.
We'll update you as we learn more.
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