Sweden players take overnight flight home, start returning to clubs after shooting in Belgium

Sweden players returned to their clubs on Tuesday after taking an overnight flight from Brussels. This followed the suspension of their European Championship qualifier against Belgium at halftime due to a shooting incident before the match. The players were allowed to leave King Baudouin Stadium after a lockdown and evacuation process that lasted 2½ hours. The last of the Swedish supporters, numbering around 650, left the stadium at around 4 a.m. local time under police surveillance. The Swedish Football Association ensured that hotels where supporters were staying were also guarded by police.

The national-team players have now returned to their clubs, confirmed the Swedish FA. The suspect in the shooting was shot dead by police on Tuesday, according to Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden. The weapon believed to be used by the suspect has been recovered. Authorities had been searching for a 45-year-old Tunisian extremist living in Belgium illegally and known to police.

The Swedish FA received information about the shooting incident shortly before the match began. Despite the incident, Belgian authorities and police considered the stadium the safest place for Swedish fans and decided to proceed with the game. However, the match was halted at halftime.

During the evening and night, about 400 Swedish fans received assistance, according to Martin Fredman, the federation’s head of security. Fredman praised the cooperation between supporters, federations, and authorities in handling the stressful situation.

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