(Twitter/@G_deLinares)
Mehdi Nemmouche, a 29-year-old French national, was arrested Friday and charged in the killing of three people inside a Jewish museum in Brussels, Belgium on May 25.
After an intensive nationwide manhunt, Nemmouche was arrested when he arrived in France on a bus from Amsterdam.
French and Belgian officials announced the arrest on Sunday.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. He Was Arrested at a Bus Station in Marseille, France
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According to BBC, Nemmouche was stopped during a routine customs search of a bus that had pulled into the coach station Marseille, France.
The bus was coming from Amsterdam and had stopped in Brussels, the site of the shootings authorities say Nemmouche carried out.
Officials said Nemmouche had a rifle and revolver with him when he was arrested.
2. 3 People Died in the Attack
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After the gunman opened fire into the museum, three people were declared dead on the scene, and a fourth was hospitalized in critical condition. The victims were identified as a Belgian museum employee, a French citizen, and two Israeli citizens.
3. The Belgian Government Declared the Shooting Terrorism
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Belgian government said that a anti-Semitic terrorism is the most likely motivation behind the attack.
Wenke Roggen, Belgium’s federal prosecutor, was cited in Bloomberg as saying,
The analysis of the first images shows a person who seems cold-blooded and apparently determined. This combined with the fact that the shots were fired inside the Jewish Museum makes us believe that the crimes were committed with a terrorist motive.
The New York Times reported that officials think Nemmouche traveled to Syria last year, possibly to join Islamist fighters there.
4. Officials Say He Admitted to the Attack in a Recording
Federal prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw holds a press conference Sunday, June 1 in Brussels to discuss the arrest of Mehdi Nemmouche.
Mr Nemmouche was also said to be carrying a camera with a 40-second video showing the two guns and a voice recording, claiming responsibility for the killings and expressing regret that the device had not succeeded in capturing the shooting.
5. The Gunman’s Escape Prompted a Nationwide Manhunt
After the shooting, the man put the rifle back into a bag, and hastily walked away from the museum. His escape prompted a country wide manhunt and the release of the security camera footage above in hopes someone might recognize the suspect.
Above, you can see CCTV surveillance camera footage of the attack.
