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Brussels explosion: Suspected suicide bomber shot dead after blast at Central Station | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A suspected suicide bomber was gunned down by Belgian soldier after he allegedly tried to detonate explosives at Brussels Central Station in a "terror attack", a federal prosecutor has said. | |
The unidentified man, reportedly carrying a suicide belt and a backpack full of explosives, detonated a small explosive inside the building before he was shot dead. | |
Police then evacuated the station and nearby the Grand Place "in seconds" according to witnesses. | Police then evacuated the station and nearby the Grand Place "in seconds" according to witnesses. |
One eyewitness reported that the man had shouted "Allahu Akbar" and had seemed very agitated. | One eyewitness reported that the man had shouted "Allahu Akbar" and had seemed very agitated. |
Nicolas Van Herreweghen, who works for Belgium's national rail company, said the male suspect was yelling about jihadists before blowing up something on a baggage trolley. | Nicolas Van Herreweghen, who works for Belgium's national rail company, said the male suspect was yelling about jihadists before blowing up something on a baggage trolley. |
He added that the man appeared to be 30 to 35 years of age. | |
Federal prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt said they were treating the incident as a "terror attack". | Federal prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt said they were treating the incident as a "terror attack". |
Brussels prosecutor's office spokeswoman Ine Van Wymersch told the VRT network there was a small explosion at the station, one of the nation's busiest, but the damage was limited. | |
She said at first sight no one else appeared to have been wounded. | |
However, the government agency which owns Belgium's railways was warned by a train driver who saw people running across the rail lines inside the station, spokesman Arnaud Reymann told broadcaster RTL. | |
Rail company spokeswoman Elisa Roux said that trains were diverted from the station and buses sent out to take passengers to the area. | |
Belgium has been on high alert since suicide bombers killed 32 people on the Brussels subway and at an airport in March 2016. | Belgium has been on high alert since suicide bombers killed 32 people on the Brussels subway and at an airport in March 2016. |
There have subsequently been incidents involving Islamist extremists in Paris and London, including this week's attack by a van driver who tried to run down Muslim worshippers outside a mosque in Finsbury Park. | |
Belgium's Crisis Center, which monitors security threats in the country, says based on initial information it doesn't see a need to raise the terror threat in the country to the highest level. | |
Additional reporting by AP | Additional reporting by AP |