A suspected suicide bomber, who allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” and triggered an explosive vest at Brussels Central Station has been gunned down and killed by soldiers.
Shots rang out soon after 9pm as police and soldiers moved in “to neutralise a suspect who was threatening civilians,” said an investigating source.
Initial reports suggested the suspect was wearing a rucksack packed with explosives, while witnesses later claimed he tried to blow up a trolley or a suitcase.
Tourists were among those who fled in panic, and within a few minutes nearby shops and restaurants were shutting down.
Terrified passengers inside the station ran towards the tracks as they tried to avoid the blast. There were no other casualties reported and police quickly said the situation was “under control”.
The Grand Place, the city’s most popular tourist spot, was completely evacuated because of fears that the man might not be acting alone.
The suspect shouted out “Allahu Akbar” (God is Greatest) before causing the explosion on Tuesday, a witness said.
“I went down to the mezzanine level, someone was shouting. Then he cried ‘Allahu Akbar’, and he blew up a trolley,” Nicolas Van Herrewegen, a railway sorting agent, claimed.
Local media also corroborated reports later on that the suspect blew up a trolley or suitcase in an increasingly confusing situation.
A spokesman for Belgium’s railway operator said: “A crowd panicked in the station and ran for the tracks after an incident.”
One witness told local media that the bomber blew up a trolley. They said passengers were several metres away but were unhurt.
Soldiers ran toward the spot, saw wires protruding from the man’s clothes, and shot him. That account could not be independently confirmed.
Images shot at the scene showed an explosion, and what looked like an individual on fire. Belgian Rail says traffic has been halted at the station with local media reporting that there was a small blast there.
Belgian Police have said an incident with a person in Brussels central station is under control.
Soldiers, firefighters, armoured trucks and police were pictured outside the station after it was evacuated. Federal police have confirmed the blasts and say soldiers opened fire on man.
One witness claimed he was “lucky to be alive” after something that sounded like a “bomb” reportedly went off just 30 metres away from him.
Ludoivic Hampton said: “When you’re walking through central station and something that looked and sounded like a bomb goes off 30 metres away from you. I’m lucky to be alive.”
A police spokesman said: “There was an accident at Central Station. There was an explosion around a person. That person was neutralised by the soldiers that were on the scene.”
Security officials guiding passengers out of the station 