Belgian police hunt for gunmen in Brussels underground

Belgian police are looking for armed men after a shooting was reported outside a metro station in the centre of Brussels.

CCTV footage broadcast by local media shows at least two men wearing balaclavas and carrying weapons at the entrance of Clémenceau station in the Belgian capital early on Wednesday.

Video from the scene shows an exchange of fire at about 06:15 local time (05:15 GMT).

Sarah Frederickx, spokeswoman for Brussels police, said the suspects fled into the metro station and may still be in the metro tunnels.

The spokeswoman said there were no injuries in the shooting. Both the local police and federal railway police are searching the area.

Police are looking for “a small group of people, probably two or three individuals”, Ms Frederickx said, adding that they may still be armed and that police did not want to take any risks.

BruxellesToday reported the suspects were carrying what appeared to be Kalashnikov weapons.

The BBC has verified footage of the incident circulating on social media, which showed two men brandishing what looks like rifles and shooting. From the video, it is unclear who they are aiming at.

Clémenceau station has been shut, as has the nearby Brussels-Midi station, which also serves as the terminal for Eurostar trains.

A command post to coordinate the search has been set up at the Anderlecht town hall, west of the Belgian capital’s city centre.

Belgium’s interior minister, Bernard Quintin, joined police and Anderlecht’s mayor at the town hall on Wednesday morning.

“We are following the situation closely,” he said in a post on X.

Two metro lines through the centre of Brussels have also been suspended, from Gare de l’Ouest to Trône, which is close to the European Parliament.

Reports on Belgian media suggest the events might have been linked to drug trafficking. The area around Brussels-Midi has long had a reputation for violence and crime.

Tram lines were also disrupted, namely between Lemonnier and Berkendael and between Port d’Anderlecht and Gare du Midi stations.

Thousands of commuters were impacted by the incident, which took place during the morning rush hour. There is no indication of when normal service may resume.

One local resident told Belgium’s VRT broadcaster he heard five or six shots. Another resident, also unnamed by the broadcaster, said she was scared.

“I went outside and wondered what is happening. Is this war? We have to send our children to school, we take the metro. We are scared, yes.”