Gun shot at Brussels station causes panic

BRUSSELS (AP) —A gun shot into the ground caused a brief panic at Brussels’ busy Midi train station, setting off a major police operation and forcing two platforms to close on Wednesday.

Brussels police said surveillance video showed one suspect shooting downward with a gun before fleeing the station. Some of the evening rush hour commuters rushed out after hearing the shot.

Ine Van Wymersch of the prosecutor’s office said that police immediately arrived at the scene and closed off part of the building for further checks.

She said no one was injured and that authorities were searching for the suspect.

Police and security services are still a very visible presence in Belgium’s main rail stations following the 2016 bomb attacks at the airport and subway system which killed 32 people.

A person fired a shot into the ground at the Brussels Midi station on Wednesday and then ran off, sowing panic among the crowds although no one was injured, a spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutor said.

Major Belgian media reported that a “detonation” had caused Brussels Midi station to be evacuated by the police. Both the police and prosecutors denied it.

The spokeswoman said video images showed someone had fired a shot into the ground just after 1700 CET (1500 GMT). The area was cordoned off and no one was injured.