3 killed, 1 injured at Brussels Jewish Museum

BRUSSELS -- At least three people have been killed and one seriously injured in a spree of gunfire at the Jewish Museum in Brussels on Saturday, officials said.

Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, who was in the vicinity, said the scene "was terrible and left me shocked" as he saw two of the three dead lying at the entry of the museum, located in the touristy Sablon neighborhood.

Interior Ministry Ingrid Van Daele confirmed the casualties. He added that investigators were still on the scene gathering details, and that it was too soon to say whether it was an anti-Semitic attack.

However, Reynders said that "you cannot help to think that when we see a Jewish museum, you think of an anti-Semitic act. But the investigation will have to show the causes."

No details were immediately available, but according to RTBF, a Belgian broadcasting company, a person with a backpack opened fire then fled.

Police have closed off the area around the museum, near the center of Brussels, and numerous ambulances were at the scene.

The Sablon area consists of cobblestoned streets with numerous antique shops and museums, including the Jewish Museum.