Brussels police surround ‘bomb suspect’, cordon off city centre: Media

Police backed by bomb disposal teams cordoned off part of central Brussels on Wednesday where they surrounded a “suspect” individual wearing a long coat with wires showing, the police and media said.

Police backed by bomb disposal teams cordoned off part of central Brussels on Wednesday where they surrounded a “suspect” individual wearing a long coat with wires showing, the police and media said.

In this framegrab taken from APTN, a soldier walks along a street in Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday July 20, 2016. Police in Brussels say they arrested a man acting suspiciously and wearing heavy clothes with wires hanging out, in the area of place Monnaie. Police closed the area and evacuated people surrounding the area. (AP Photo)

“Following police intervention, a cordon has been established” around part of the Place de la Monnaie and adjoining streets, Brussels police said in a tweeted message.

Brussels has remained on high alert since Islamic State-claimed suicide bomb attacks at the airport and in the metro in March that left 32 people dead.

Belga news agency, quoting a police spokesman, said the suspect was “under control” as the bomb squad waited to check if he had any explosives concealed under his coat.

Local media footage showed troops, police and firemen in and around the cordoned-off area, with the streets largely deserted in what is normally a very busy shopping district.