Armed officers have sealed off part of Brussels following reports of a possible murder, police have said.

Belgian police closed a street in the neighbourhood of Forest as armed officers descended on several buildings, with local media reporting that "one or several" gunmen were at large.

A police helicopter was also sighted flying overhead, but a spokeswoman denied that any gunmen were hiding in the area, or that the incident was terror-related.

Image: Police special forces were seen responding to the incident

She said that "special units of the federal police" had been deployed after a Polish man reported that someone had been murdered on Thursday morning.

The police response began at around lunchtime.


Image: A Belgian police officer prepares his gun while taking position on a roof

Brussels has been on high alert since suicide bombers killed 32 people at the city airport and on the metro in March 2016.

And Forest was the scene of a police shootout after the deadly Paris attacks in November 2015, when one of the suspects - Salah Abdeslam - hid in the suburb.