Belgium's Justice Minister resigns after learning that the country refused to extradite the person responsible for the attack in Brussels

The Belgian Minister of Justice, Vincent Van Quickenborne, presented his resignation this Friday due to the chain of errors that allowed the terrorist who murdered two Swedish fans in Brussels on Monday to remain in Belgium despite the fact that Tunisia requested more than a year ago his extradition.

“It is an individual, monumental and unacceptable failure. An error with dramatic consequences,” Van Quickenborne declared at a press conference to explain the reasons for his resignation, which Prime Minister Alexander de Croo has accepted.

As explained by Van Quickenborne, the Tunisian authorities requested on August 15, 2022 the extradition of Abdesalem Lassoued, a Tunisian citizen residing irregularly in Belgium who last Monday murdered two Swedish fans in Brussels with an assault rifle and injured a third. .

The extradition request was transferred on September 1 to the Brussels Prosecutor's Office but the magistrate in charge “did not follow it up” and the file “was not dealt with,” the now resigned minister reported.

The alleged perpetrator of the Brussels shooting was a 45-year-old Tunisian citizen named Abdesalem Lassoued. He was in Belgium in an irregular situation and was registered by the authorities.