Suspected Suicide Bomber Shot At Brussels Central Station In Belgium
by Tyla MacAllister DeFreese
Belgian officials say soldiers have “neutralized” a man wearing an explosives vest at Brussels Central Station. It has not been confirmed whether the suspect is dead or alive. No other casualties have been reported.
Nicolas Van Herreweghen, a Belgium national rail company employee, told The Associated Press the male suspect was very agitated, yelling about jihadists and then “Allahu akbar,” Arabic for “God is great,” before detonating a something on a baggage trolley. He said the man appeared to be 30 to 35 years of age.
Witnesses reported hearing two explosions.‘The attacker was shot several times, and it appears that he triggered a device,’ a source told the Daily Mail .
An image shared by Remy Bonnaffe on Twitter from the scene shows a small explosion and possibly a person on fire.
Twee luide ontploffingen in Brussel Cebtraal. Voor mijn neus. Dan snelle knallen na elkaar. pic.twitter.com/FDqVAjgGYg
— Rémy Bonnaffé (@remybonnaffe) June 20, 2017
Brussels Central Station and the surrounding La Grande Place square have been evacuated. Belgian police say the scene has been secured but all train service has been suspended until further notice.
The incident occurred around 9 PM local time Tuesday.
Brussels has remained on high alert for more than a year after a series of coordinated suicide bombings at the city’s airport and Maalbeek Metro station. ISIS claimed responsibility for the March 2016 attacks that killed 32 people and injured hundreds more. The attackers were part of the same ISIS network that carried out the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris.
