A man has been shot dead in the centre of Brussels after attacking soldiers with a knife in what police have described as "attempted terrorist murder".

The soldiers opened fire on the man and the suspect was taken to hospital in a critical condition, but later died, prosecutors in Belgium said.

RTBF reported the suspect was a Somali man who is alleged to have shouted "Allahu Akbar" - God is great - before the attack.

A spokeswoman for the prosecution service said: "With the identity that we currently have, it is a 30-year-old man who is not known for terrorist activities."

It added that the troops suffered slight injuries, one to the hand and the other to the face. The incident is being treated as a terror attack.


Images showed police had sealed off a main street near the main Grand Place tourist attraction.

Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted: "All our support is with our soldiers. Our security services remain on alert. We are following the situation closely."

Witness Freddie Martin told Sky News the suspect was resuscitated at the scene before being put into an ambulance.

Image: The area was put on lockdown by police

Philip Close, Brussels mayor, said the alert status in the city would not be raised.

He said: "Initial indications are... that it is an isolated attack, a single person."

Brussels is on a heightened security threat level following attacks in Paris and the Belgian capital in 2015 and 2016.

Suicide bombers killed 32 people in attacks on the city's main airport and subway system on 22 March 2016.