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Belgian armed police stormed an apartment building to end a siege after reports that gunmen had taken a hostage.

Around 30 special police were called out to the property in a busy street in Ghent, a city in the north west of the country, this morning.

(Image: PA)

Officers wore masks and body armour as the tense standoff went on for more than three hours. The street was closed off to prevent any risk to the public while a police helicopter viewed the scene from above.

"Four armed men invaded an apartment building," police spokesman Manuel Mugica Gonzalez told de Standaard this morning.

"We set up a security zone and asked residents to stay indoors for their own safety."

(Image: Getty)

The standoff came to an end when armed police wearing balaclavas stormed the building in the Dampoort district of the city.

They emerged at around 1pm having arrested three people in what was reportedly a 'non-violent' resolution.

"It's over," one police officer said as they left the scene.

(Image: PA)

The victim is understood to be safe and well, but no details of the individual have been released. There has also been no explanation as yet of the group's motivation.

"Three men have been taken away though there were no weapons found. The earlier reports were of four men with kalashnikovs," she said. "...It's not entirely clear whether someone was in fact taken hostage."

(Image: Google)

Belgian broadcaster VRT cited neighbours as saying that the flat had been used by drug dealers.

The incident occurred within hours of Australian police locking down the centre of Sydney after an armed man walked into a downtown cafe, took hostages and forced them to display an Islamic flag.

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The Belgian prosecution spokeswoman said there was no indication of a link in the Ghent case to terrorism.

"It's really nothing along the lines of what is happening in Sydney," she said.

For a recap of the situation in Ghent, click here.