Emanuel and Miriam Riva from Tel Aviv shot dead in Brussels

An Israeli couple from Tel Aviv, Emanuel and Miriam Riva, in their 50s, and two Jewish Museum staff members were shot dead in the shootout Saturday at the museum entrance in central Brussels. The fourth victim, a museum worker, died of her wounds during the night. Another 12 people were injured by the indiscriminate fire. The Belgian police are hunting the shooter who escaped on foot. The driver of the Audi which brought him to the scene is in custody. The attack is being treated by the authorities as an anti-Semitic crime. Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, who happened to be near the scene, expressed shock when he saw the bodies. Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo said all Belgians were "united and show solidarity in the face of this odious attack on a Jewish cultural site". Security has been stepped up for Jewish institutions in the country and the Israeli embassy.

Ron Lauder, head of the World Jewish Congress, condemned the shooting as a “heinous act of terror just two years after Toulouse. It is a terrible reminder of the kind of threats Europe’s Jews are facing.