41-year-old Albanian shot dead near European Parliament in Brussels

An Albanian national has been shot dead in Brussels, Belgium, in an attack suspected of being linked to a settling of scores in the drug trade.

The victim was fatally shot on the evening of October 12 in the Ixelles area, near the European Parliament. According to Belgian media, seven or eight shots were fired at him, and the attackers fled the scene immediately. The Albanian died in the hallway of an apartment building despite the efforts of emergency services.

The case has taken a new turn following the investigation into the killing of police officer Nordine El Talbi, 41, who was shot dead several hours later in the Jette area. According to the Belgian newspaper “De Standaard,” investigators now suspect that the same people carried out both killings.

Brussels prosecutors initially said there was no evidence linking the two incidents, but security camera footage has helped investigators identify a new lead. The Albanian had no criminal record in Belgium.

However, sources cited by local media suspect the killing is linked to conflicts in the drug trade and may have been a contract killing.

After the attack in Ixelles, the perpetrators are suspected of stealing a Volkswagen T-Cross in Tubize. Around midnight, officer El Talbi and his colleagues spotted them in the Jette area. When the officer approached the vehicle to check it, the people inside opened fire, fatally shooting him in the head.

According to Brussels prosecutor Julien Moinil, five people were in the vehicle. After the killing, they abandoned three pistols near the car and fled on foot.

As part of the investigation, four suspects were arrested outside Belgium: three in Almeria, Spain, and one in Paris. One of them is a minor. All four have been extradited to Belgium, while two other people had initially been arrested by local police. Investigations are continuing to establish the motive for the attack on the Albanian and its connection to the killing of the Belgian officer.