Man armed with machete arrested near Brussels Midi station

A man armed with a machete was arrested on Thursday morning in the Brussels municipality of Anderlecht, police said on Thursday afternoon. Nobody was injured in the incident.

At around 9.55, the railway police contacted the Brussels Midi police zone to report the presence of an armed man near Place Bara, not far from Midi railway station.

The man was walking down the street, armed with a machete, for reasons that remain unclear at this stage. The exact circumstances of the incident are under investigation.

Police responded to the scene to arrest the man, who was hiding near a house when they arrived. He was subsequently arrested and the weapon was found under a bench in Place Bara.

The man's motive has not yet been established. "The man is currently being questioned and the investigation is ongoing. Fortunately, no one was injured," police said.

^{Illustrative image © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK}