Bomb blast on Brussel’s Grand Central Station; Belgian police “neutralize” man wearing explosive belt

Belgian police have 'neutralised' a man wearing an explosive belt in Brussel's Grand Central Station.

A witness told Agence France Presse that the suspect shouted "Allahu Akbar" before he was shot by soldiers who were on patrol at the time. Security forces evacuated people from La Grande Place within seconds following the incident.

La Grand Place is one of the city's major tourist attractions and was full of people when the incident occurred this evening. Witnesses took pictures of a fire in the nearby Central Station. One witness said that people had panicked after hearing the explosion and ran "in every direction".

Brussels Police tweeted about an "incident with an individual at Brussels Central station".

It said: "The situation is under control but please follow the instructions.”

A police spokesman said that asides the suspect, there were no other casualties. He however did not clarify whether the suspect was still alive after getting shot.

Arnaud Reyman, spokesman for rail network operator Infrabel confirmed the station was evacuated.  

He said: "There was panic in the station and on the tracks after an incident."

Bart Crols, a spokesman for the SNCN railway company, confirmed all rail traffic in the city has been suspended after witnesses tweeted a picture of a fire at Central Station.

A senior Belgian law enforcement official told the Politico website that a crisis meeting of top state officials was expected to start immediately.