A man attempted to set himself on fire outside the Berlaymont building. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

A man attempted to set himself on fire outside the headquarters of the European Commission on Wednesday but was quickly rescued and taken away safely.

Witnesses said authorities “swarmed” on the man before he was able to set himself alight, dousing him down with a hose.

Unidentified at this stage, the man reportedly appeared in front of the European quarter’s Berlaymont building, carrying a petrol canister, Het Nieuwsblad reports.

Images shared on social media show police officers outside the Berlaymont pulling a covered-up man away on a gurney.

Something 's up at the #berlaymont, nobody can enter — Christoph Schmidt (@trouwschmidt) October 2, 2019

Bystanders took to Twitter to report the incident, with one saying that the building had been put on lockdown after the incident.

Several reports on online and social media say the man was a Croat who wanted to protest the Serbs, but authorities have not provided information regarding the man’s thwarted act of protest.

Gabriela Galindo

The Brussels Times