(Politico) Belgium had big plans for its upcoming Council presidency. But its handling of the October 16 shooting spree by Tunisian gunman Abdesalem Lassoued, which left two Swedish football supporters dead, has since led to a series of embarrassing revelations.
Lassoued was living in the country as an undocumented migrant after Belgian authorities rejected his asylum claim in 2020, and was known to law enforcement for “suspicious activities.” His country of origin, Tunisia, had even asked for his extradition — a fact missed by the country’s judicial system. Belgium’s justice minister quit while the country’s interior affairs and asylum and migration ministers had to appear twice before lawmakers to explain why they, too, shouldn’t resign.
For Belgium it’s been an awkward lead-up to its Council presidency, having wanted to impress in those very areas where it has now clearly failed: migration and the fight against organized crime.
