WATCH: Brussels Jewish museum commemorates shooting victims

Under heavy police and military surveillance, religious officials and some fifty guests laid candles below a plate commemorating the victims.

By REUTERS

MAY 25, 2016 10:11

Brussels Jewish museum commemorates shooting victims

A commemoration ceremony was held at the Jewish Museum in Brussels on Tuesday, two years after a shooting that left four people dead.

Organized by the museum, the commemoration was attended by the Chief-Rabbi of Belgium, Albert Guigui, the head of the Muslim Executive in Belgium, Salah Echallaoui and the Bishop of Ypres, Jean Kockerols and featured religious chants in Hebrew and Arabic.

Guigui said the ceremony was about remembering the victims and sending "a message to the world - especially to terrorists - to tell them that we are all united to fight against all forms of terrorism," he said.

Under heavy police and military surveillance, religious officials and some fifty guests later laid candles below a plate commemorating the victims.

French national Mehdi Nemmouche, is suspected to have opened fire in the museum on May 24, 2014 with a Kalashnikov rifle, killing an Israeli couple, a French woman and a Belgian man.

Nemmouche, who is believed to have spent the year 2013 fighting in Syria, was caught in Marseilles shortly after the attack and was extradited to Belgium in July 2014. He is currently jailed in Bruges awaiting trial.

The Brussels attack is generally seen as the first in the series of attacks in Europe linked to Islamic State.

A French journalist who was held hostage for months in Syria has said that Nemmouche was one of his captors.