A “small explosion” went off in the Brussels Central Station on Tuesday night. The attack is being called a failed bombing, as thankfully no one was killed or injured. Belgium Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Eric Van Der Sypt said that the “suspect was neutralised by soldiers.”
Although Central Station is one of the busiest train stations in Belgium, the explosion occured at 8:30pm local time, a few hours after rush hour.
The suspect is confirmed to be dead. He has been identified as a 37 year old Moroccan man named Oussama Zariouh. ‘He was not known to the authorities for any terrorism connection,’ Van Der Sypt said. “It could have been much worse.”
The threat level in Belgium remains at 3, which means it’s a warning of another “possible and likely threat. The National Security council will meet Wednesday morning to discuss the incident.
A witness revealed that there were two explosions before he heard someone scream “Allahu Akbar” twice before he heard loud gunfire. The attacker was said was to be in his 30s, was wearing an explosive vest and carrying a backpack, according to witnesses. Belgain police later confirmed that the attacker was not wearing a suicide bombing vest. Although his body remained on the station floor for hours after the attack, incase he did have any explosives on him.
This attack happened more than a year after the last Brussels attack, which killed 31 people. This incident also comes after an attacker drove his car into police in Paris, less than 24 hours before this attack. Both cities have been widely affected by terrorism in the recent months and they both remain on high alert.
