Kent Persson
Died 16 October 2023
Who they were
Kent was a fixture of Sweden's "blue-and-yellow football family" and travelled the world with the national team. A fellow fan called him "the songbird": the two always sang and hugged when they travelled together. His brother Sune said the family had called and emailed all evening without an answer – "he otherwise always replies straight away".
What happened
On the evening of Monday 16 October 2023, Kent was in Brussels for the Belgium–Sweden European Championship qualifier. A gunman singled out a group wearing Swedish team shirts and opened fire. Kent and his friend Patrick Lundström were killed and a third man was injured. The gunman was shot dead by police the next day, so there was no trial.
Verdict / confirmation
No trial: perpetrator killed by police 17 Oct 2023. Belgian federal prosecutor treated it as a terrorist attack.
Status: No trial
Perpetrator: A 45-year-old Tunisian national, a rejected asylum seeker in Belgium living there illegally; previously convicted in Sweden. Shot dead by police the next day – identified by Belgian authorities, no trial.