A male terror suspect has been arrested in the wake of a bomb scare in a shopping mall located in central Brussels, and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel described the situation as "very serious", according to RTL television.
He called for a crisis meeting.
The area surrounding the City 2 shopping center has been cordoned off and bomb experts are on the site, according to the broadcaster.
"A man was arrested at 5.30 this morning, possibly in possession of explosives. The bomb disposal team of the army is verifying whether this is the case," a spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutor said as quoted by Reuters.
Images from incident in #Nieuwstraat Brussels pic.twitter.com/6XcySjSAGh
— News This Second (@NewsThisSecond) 21 июня 2016 г.
Doesn't look good near City 2 and nearby Metrostation in Brussels.. Street is locked down.. #Brussels pic.twitter.com/xLRpfk3Q68
— William (@will90LFC) 21 июня 2016 г.
"There is a very strong threat because the police were warned that a man was carrying an explosive belt which, it seems, would have ended up in this building," an RTL reporter said.
I was reported later that the man had no explosives.
The threat level in Brussels will remain unchanged (level 3) following today's bomb alert at #City2 https://t.co/ZlwvK4HWsz
— Anne Laumen (@AnneLaumen) 21 июня 2016 г.
Another suspect was arrested in the Schaerbeek neighborhood not far away from the City2, Belgian newspaper Dernière Heure reported. The suspect was said to be sitting "in a car with an explosive belt."
"The situation is under control," Prime Minister Charles Michel said following an emergency meeting on the matter, as quoted by Het Nieuwsblad.
On March 22, two explosions hit Brussels Airport. A third blast hit Maelbeek metro station near the headquarters of the EU institutions, killing over 30 people and injuring at least 300. The Daesh terrorist group, outlawed in many countries including Russia, claimed responsibility for the attack.
