Attacker ‘wearing suicide vest’ shot at Brussels station with reports of explosion

From the Metro and the Telegraph

Belgian military opened fire on a suspected attacker ‘in a suicide vest’ at a Brussels station tonight.

The station and the adjacent historic downtown area, packed with tourists, was evacuated as police set up a security cordon at around 9pm local time, witnesses 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,” a police spokesman said.

Belgian media quoted witnesses claiming the man shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ (‘God is great’ in Arabic) before he was shot. Local reports stated the suspect had been wearing an explosives belt.

The situation is said to be under control with no civilian casualties. It was reported that the incident was the first combat action by Belgian troops on Belgian soil since 1940. (surely they played a part in the liberation of 1944?)