BRUSSELS – The Belgian Minister of Justice, Vincent Van Quickenborn, has resigned following a terrorist attack on October 16 in Brussels that left two dead and another injured.
According to News Releases by Burkina Information Agency, the news was initially reported by the VRT television channel. In a statement released on Friday, Vincent Van Quickenborn described the incident as a significant, inexcusable personal mistake and announced, “I assume political responsibility and I resign.” His resignation is now pending review by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
On the day of the attack, two supporters of the Swedish national football team were killed, and another was seriously injured. The suspect, a 45-year-old man of Tunisian origin who was living in Belgium illegally, fled the scene. Known to police for his radical views and having faced terrorism-related offenses in Tunisia, the suspect later recorded a video claiming affiliation with the Islamic State terrorist group and stating his intent to “avenge Muslims” by killing Swedes. He was seriously injured by police during an arrest in a Brussels café on Tuesday morning and later died in intensive care.
On December 29, 2014, the Russian Supreme Court recognized the Islamic State (IS or Daesh, until 2014, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) as a terrorist organization. Its activities are banned in Russia.