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Click here to watch: Belgium Police Release Footage of Deadly Attack
A fourth victim was pronounced dead Sunday and Belgium's Jewish community was placed on high alert as police hunted down a gunman who opened fire at the Brussels Jewish Museum in an attack blamed on growing anti-Semitism. An Israeli tourist couple and a French woman died from gunshots to the face and neck after a man apparently acting alone fired two successive rounds into the museum on Saturday afternoon before escaping minutes later on foot. A fourth victim, a Belgian who did volunteer work for the museum, was critically injured and later pronounced dead. Joel Rubinfeld, head of the Belgian League against Anti-Semitism, told AFP that the fourth victim, who was in his early 20s and worked as a receptionist at the museum, died in the afternoon.
The first such attack in more than 30 years in Belgium has revived fears of a return of violent anti-Semitism to Europe, with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu notably lashing out at Europe's "hypocrisy" in its attitude to the Jewish state. Appealing to the public to help police identify the gunman in a national manhunt, deputy public prosecutor Ine Van Wymersch said he "probably" acted alone and was "well prepared and well armed."
She added that as there was no claim "I cannot confirm that it is a terrorist or anti-Semitic act" but "all leads remain open." Police released security camera video of the attack. French President Francois Hollande, who along with Netanyahu had a phone conversation with the Belgian premier, said he had no doubt about the "anti-Semitic character" of the attack.
Netanyahu, welcoming Pope Francis in the Holy Land, hailed the pontiff for his "determined stance against anti-Semitism, especially in light of the growing hatred of Jews that we are witness to in these days." The attack in the busy heart of Brussels, minutes away from a packed streetside jazz festival, came as the country headed into a crucial general election held alongside a vote for the European parliament. "An election day is usually a celebration of democracy. Today it is clouded," said Belgium's Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo. "It is on everyone's mind." "In Belgium we are not accustomed to such acts of barbarity." Some 40,000 Jews live in Belgium, roughly half in Brussels and the remainder in the port city of Antwerp.
Condemning the "terrible act" in the city which hosts EU and NATO headquarters, European Commission president said: "This was an attack at European values which we cannot tolerate." Flowers and candles were laid out in front of the museum on Sunday as mourners trickled by to pay respects. "It would be terribly dangerous to see a new surge of anti-Semitism, be it from the far right or from Muslim extremists," said 66-year-old Colette Gradom who trembled with emotion as she laid a bunch of flowers at the scene. "We feel that these actions are the outcome of a long period of hate speech against the Jews," said Rabbi Avi Tawil, who heads the European Jewish Community Centre.
The head of the European Jewish Congress, Moshe Kantor, met premier Di Rupo on Sunday after talks with community leaders and Home Affairs Minister Joelle Milquet. The government was beefing up protection with 24/7 police protection at schools, synagogues and cultural centers in line with a decision to place Jewish institutions under maximum security, Milquet said. "These measures will remain in place for now," a government statement said. There was no security at the museum leading up to the attack and Jewish community leaders said there had been no threats.
Source: Arutz Sheva
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