Police spark urgent manhunt for gunmen in Brussels metro stations after shooting

Police in Brussels have launched an urgent manhunt after a “shooting” on the Belgian capital’s metro.

Authorities are said to be hunting down a suspect in the underground service’s tunnels after a shooting near Clemenceau station in Anderlecht, in the city’s southwest.

CCTV footage from the scene shows at least two men wearing balaclavas and carrying what look to be Kalashnikov rifles at the entrance of the station early on Wednesday – with a video clip showing an exchange of fire at about 05.15 UK time.

Meanwhile, reports in Belgian media suggest the gunmen may have been involved in a drug-dealing dispute.

“A shooting took place. The images from the surveillance cameras show that the suspects fled towards the Clemenceau metro station,” Sarah Frederickx, spokeswoman for the Brussels South police, told Politico.

“For security reasons we had to shut down the metro line. There are no victims.”

Frederickx later said that police were looking for “a small group of people, probably two or three individuals”.

But she added that the gunman may still be armed – and that police did not want to take any risks.

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Brussels-Midi station, the terminal for Eurostar trains from London, has been shut alongside Clemenceau.

Meanwhile, two metro lines in central Brussels have also been suspended – including one which runs close to the European Parliament.

Thousands of commuters have been impacted by the incident, which took place at the height of the morning rush hour.

It comes less than a day after at least 11 people were killed in a mass shooting in Sweden – the deadliest such attack in the country’s history.

Regional authorities said six victims had been treated in hospital – four women and two men.

Five of them had required surgery for gunshot wounds and remained in serious condition, their statement said.

Local media reports indicate the shooter was an unemployed man aged around 35 who had a hunting licence – but police have said there was no evidence of “ideological motives” behind the killings.

More to follow…