A police operation at Place Saint-Géry has ended following the discovery that an "armed man" inside a nearby building was in possession of an air rifle rather than a real weapon.
Place Saint-Géry was evacuated and cordoned off at around 15:30 on Friday afternoon following sightings of the man. Police spokesperson Ilse Van de Keere has since confirmed to Belga News Agency that the operation has ended and the man with the air rifle "has been apprehended and will be questioned".
Several police had been deployed on site but have since left the area. Earlier on, terraces were evacuated. "Suddenly there was shouting," writer Hans Vandecandelaere told Bruzz. "It started at the Zebra bar, then at Roi de Belges and within ten minutes the security perimeter had been moved to the Spago restaurant in Rue Antoine Dansaert."
"The police received a notification about an armed individual potentially inside a building," the spokesperson for the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police zone Ilse Van de Keere confirmed to The Brussels Times. "There are several police officers currently on the scene."
On s’est fait tej de saint Gery par la police #saintgery #Bruxelles pic.twitter.com/bql7mPXsYY
— Meryam Eddaoudi (@authentiklown) April 12, 2024
This article was updated at 17:50 to include new information.
