Shooter attack in Belgium drives an EU push to toughen border and deportation laws

By LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — Abdesalem Lassoued had been denied residency in four European countries by the time he shot three Swedish men this week, killing two of them. The 45-year-old Tunisian arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa in a smuggler’s boat in 2011. He spent jail time in Sweden and was refused entry to Norway. At one point Italy flagged him as a security threat. Two years ago, Belgium rejected his asylum claim and he disappeared off the map. By Thursday he was the new face of the European Union’s campaign to toughen border controls and rapidly deport people. He’s also being flagged as a reason for the police, justice and migration agencies to exchange information more efficiently.