Brussels metro services on large stretch of lines 2 and 6 have been suspended on Wednesday morning to allow police to search for suspects that were involved in a shooting near to the Clemenceau Metro Station in Anderlecht. Initially services were suspended between the Ossegem metro station in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek and the Hallepoort station in Sint-Gillis.
Metro tunnels closed as police search for suspects after shooting near to Clemenceau metro station
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The line closure was later modified to cover the stretch of line 2 and 6 between West Station and the Troon Metro Station in Elsene. Tram services on routes 4 and 10 have also been suspended between ther Berkendael stop in Vorst and the Lemonier underground tram stop in the centre of Brussels.
The shooting occurred at around 6:15am, near to the metro station. The weapons used were reportedly Kalashnikovs. Shots were fired into the air. No one was injured. The Brussels regional news platform Bruzz reports that the incident is probably linked to the trade in illegal drugs. After the shooting the gunmen fled via the metro tunnel towards the South Station Metro Station.
Sarah Frederickx of the Brussels South Local Police Service told journalists that "We are looking for several suspects. It is a small group, possible 2 or 3 people. They are possibly still armed, and we don’t want to take any unnecessary risks. We understand that this is a far-reaching measure taken at a difficult time of the day. We will reopen the tunnels as quickly as possible”.
The local police service is receiving assistance from the Federal Railway Police.
Thousands of commuters face disruption
As the incident caused the closure of the line from the start of Wednesday’s rush hour it has resulted in disruption for many thousands of people wishing to get to work or school.
The Brussels public transport company MIVB’s spokesman Guy Sablon told journalists that “South Station is the busiest station on the network and there are also a lot of commuters that arrive there by train and take the metro there. As a result of this the impact is major. We don’t know how long it will go on for”.