Brussels police were searching for two gunmen Wednesday after shots were fired outside a metro station, with authorities saying there was ‘no indication of a terrorist motive’.
Nobody was injured in the shooting, which happened at around 6:00 am outside Clemenceau train station near the city centre.
Surveillance footage obtained by broadcaster RTBF showed two masked people carrying Kalashnikov-style automatic rifles outside the metro, with at least one letting off repeated shots.
The suspects fled into the metro and entered tunnels running under one of the city’s main railway stations, a police spokesperson said.
‘A major search operation was launched after the available video surveillance images showed two suspects fleeing into the metro tunnels,’ prosecutors said in a statement.
‘At this stage, there is no indication of a terrorist motive for this shooting.’
Brussels transport authorities said that Clemenceau and the nearby Midi metro station had been closed on the orders of the police and traffic on two lines had been interrupted as they launched a manhunt in the tunnels of the subway system.
Another video showed a large group of heavily armed police assembling at the Clemenceau station, as a massive search for the suspects got underway.
Local broadcaster VRT reported that the events were possibly drug related.
Brussels has seen an increase in gun crime linked to disputes between rival drug gangs in the city.
Local media citing police figures say that there were 89 shooting incidents, killing nine people, in the city last year.
The incident in Brussels today comes after Sweden’s ‘worst mass shooting’ at a school on Tuesday left eleven people dead, including the gunman.
The 35-year-old suspect turned the gun on himself following the rampage at School in Örebro’s Västhaga district, according to police.
Investigators said they were trying to discover a motive but believed the attacker acted alone.
Authorities are yet to reveal the shooter’s identity, but relatives speaking to Swedish press painted a picture of a troubled recluse who had lost contact with his family and friends.
The shooter also legally changed his name eight years ago – a move that took family members by surprise.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson described the tragedy as the ‘worst mass shooting in Swedish history, adding: ‘Today, we have witnessed brutal, deadly violence against completely innocent people.’
He later added: ‘My thoughts, the thoughts of all of Sweden, are now with first and foremost with those who are the direct victims of this heinous act. Your grief is our grief. We are with you.’
Carl Gustaf, the King of Sweden, also paid tribute to the victims in a statement from the Royal House.
‘With sadness and dismay, my family and I have received the information about the terrible atrocity in Örebro,’ the King wrote.
‘We send our condolences tonight to the families and friends of the deceased. Our thoughts at this time also go to the injured and their relatives, as well as to others affected.’
The King also thanked the staff who worked on the operation during and after the shooting.
‘My family and I would like to express our great appreciation for the police, rescue and medical personnel who worked intensively to save and protect human lives on this dark day.’
