Up a street in the center of Brussels, an orange-clad man with a gun arrived on a scooter. Video footage shows him pointing the gun at the crowd before firing several shots. It is 45-year-old Abdesalem Lassoued who is charged with having killed two Swedish citizens. He himself was shot by Belgian police on Tuesday, and later died of his injuries. Swedish and Belgian authorities call the murders an act of terrorism. In Norway, news meets Lassoued’s cousin. Out of consideration for the cousin’s family, news has chosen to anonymize him. The news that the 45-year-old has probably killed two innocent people shakes him. – I just want to send my condolences, says the cousin who lives in Oslo. – From me and from his family. Was in Norway Lassoued is originally from Tunisia. He was allegedly imprisoned there when the Arab Spring hit the country towards the end of 2010. According to his cousin, he was sentenced to 27 years in prison. But the Tunisian never finished serving his sentence. Instead, he escaped prison and made his way to Italy in 2011. Lassoued has previously had a number of asylum applications to several countries in Europe, including Norway, rejected. Something UDI has confirmed to VG. The cousin of the man accused of terrorism talks about the period they had together in Norway. Photo: TROND A. STENERSEN / news The cousin confirms to news that Lassoued lived with him pending a response from UDI back in 2011. – He lived with me after the revolution. He tried to apply for asylum here but he was refused, says the cousin. Abdesalem Lassoueds was a completely different person then, says the cousin, and did not appear radical. The pictures show Abdesalem Lassoueds in Oslo. Photo: Privat The pictures show Abdesalem Lassoueds in Oslo. Photo: Privat The pictures show Abdesalem Lassoueds in Oslo. Photo: Private – Did he talk about hate when you were together? – No, we talked mostly about football, how things are going with the children, but mostly about how things are going with our family in Tunisia. – Would you describe him as a particularly religious man? – Maybe he has become very religious over the past year, but he wasn’t like that before. He was very kind and very festive. Abdesalem Lassoued’s cousin meets news in Oslo. Photo: TROND A. STENERSEN / news – So you didn’t think he could become a terrorist? – No. Never. But I haven’t spoken to him in a year, and I don’t know what has happened to him during this year. Drug offenses In 2012, Tunisian Lassoued was sentenced to two years and two months in prison in Sweden for being in possession of 100 grams of cocaine. NOK 38,000 in cash was also seized. Lassoued was expelled from the country for ten years. SVT has obtained old photos of Abdesalem Lassoued, the one on the right was taken when he lived in Sweden. With the help of AI tools and sources, we have been able to confirm that it is him in the pictures. Photo: Privat / SVT In the judgment, Lassoued’s name is spelled differently than in the Belgian identity document, but the date of birth is the same, write SVT. SVT has also spoken to a person who knew the 45-year-old from his time in Sweden. – He was deeply threatening, but certainly not radicalised, says the person. In a video, which has been spread after the shooting, Lassoued says that he has killed Swedes to “avenge Muslims”. He also swears allegiance to the terrorist organization IS. IS has subsequently claimed that they were behind the attack. Belgian intelligence nevertheless believes that Lassoued probably acted alone.
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– I just want to send my condolences – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
