Two Swedish nationals have been shot dead in Brussels as a football match between Belgium and Sweden was due to take place on Monday evening, police said, and Belgium raised its terror alert to the highest level.

One Belgian newspaper said it was likely that the victims were two soccer supporters. Belgium were hosting Sweden in a Euro 2024 qualifying match on Monday evening. The match was suspended at halftime due to security reasons. Further information will follow shortly, UEFA said on its website.

The shooting comes at a time of heightened security concerns in some European countries linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict. France is deploying 7,000 extra troops onto its streets after a teacher was fatally stabbed on Friday in an attack President Emmanuel Macron condemned as “barbaric Islamic terrorism.”

A Belgian police spokesperson confirmed on Monday that two people had been killed in a shooting incident near the centre of the Belgian capital but declined to give further details.