Large-scale police operation

Shots fired in Brussels: Perpetrator flees through tunnel

Large-scale police operation in Brussels: Police are currently searching for suspects after shots were fired in a subway station. The armed men are said to have fled through the subway shafts after the crime. There are partial closures in the metro area.

Belgian police are currently deploying a large contingent near the Clémenceau metro station to search for armed suspects. As the BBC reported, a shooting was reported outside the metro station in the center of Brussels on Wednesday morning.

Video footage showed at least two men wearing balaclavas and armed with Kalashnikovs firing shots into the air at the entrance to Clémenceau station in the Belgian capital.

No injuries in the shooting
Police spokeswoman Sarah Frederickx told the Belga news agency that the Brussels Midi police and the federal railroad police were combing the area. "No one was injured in the shooting," she clarified. According to Frederickx, the perpetrators could have fled into a metro tunnel between the Clémenceau and Midi stations, which is why the search would mainly focus on this area.

Metro service partially suspended
According to the BBC, public transport operator STIB confirmed that parts of metro lines 2 and 6 as well as streetcar lines 4 and 10 were temporarily closed. Thousands of commuters were affected by the incident, which occurred during the morning rush hour. It is not yet possible to predict when normal service could be resumed.

According to Belgian media reports, the incidents could be linked to drug trafficking, but the police have not yet released any further details. The area around Brussels-Midi has long been known for violence and crime.