Police have surrounded and stopped a man wearing a long coat, reportedly with wires coming out of it, in a major police operation in the centre of Brussels.

According to Belgian media, the man was described by police as acting suspiciously and was brought "under control", though he has not yet been arrested.

Images from the scene appeared to show a large area near the Place de la Monnaie cordoned off, and some nearby shops have been evacuated.

A bomb squad and Swat team are on the scene.

Brussels police said over Twitter that "following police intervention, a cordon has been established" around part of the Place de la Monnaie and nearby streets.

At 3:40pm police said the situation remains "unchanged" and a cordon remains in place.

According to local reports, the man has not made any threats and is being spoken to by police.

It is understood the police operation was based upon the man's "suspicious behaviour" and it was decided that no risks should be taken.

At least one image posed to social media and shared on Belgian TV showed a man in a long coat, kneeling with his hands in the air as police point their guns at him.

Other images showed the extent of the police presence and the size of the cordoned-off area.

Christian De Coninck of Brussels police told Belgian TV: "We got a call about someone acting suspiciously. Someone with a heavy winter coat - in these temperatures it's very suspicious."

"There were wires coming out of the coat too. We didn't take any risks. The person was stopped and kept at a distance."

The incident comes as police in Brussels exercise extreme caution in the wake of attacks which killed 32 people in March this year.