A suspect has been arrested in connection with the shooting deaths of four people last week at the Jewish Museum in Brussels. 29-year-old French citizen Mehdi Nemmouche from the northern French town of Roubaix was captured Friday in Marseilles, apparently in possession of a Kalashnikov rifle and a handgun similar to those seen in the video footage of the shooting.
Nemmouche is being investigated for ties to terrorism and Syrian jihadists. He visted Syria last in 2013.
He is being detained on charges of murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise, according to AFP sources.
The motive for the attack is yet unclear, and may be anti-Semitic or nationalistic in nature. The identities of two of the victims, as well as Nemmouche’s history, have aroused suspicions of the latter.
Mira and Emmanuel Riva, two of the victims from Tel Aviv, had worked for the Israeli government in the past, though only in administrative and accounting positions. According to Deputy public prosecutor Ine Van Wymersch, that, as well as the speed and efficiency of the attack, raise the possibility of terrorist motivations.
The two other victims include a museum volunteer and an employee.
This attack is the first in over 30 years on Belgian soil, and is generating fears that violent anti-Semitism is making a comeback in Europe.
The museum has been closed for the investigation, but French President Francois Hollande, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, and Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo visited the museum in Brussels on Tuesday, meeting with Jewish leaders and bowing their heads as a local rabbi recited a prayer, reports AFP.
