Suicide bombing suspect shot dead by Belgian soldiers

Belgian soldiers have shot and killed a suspected suicide bomber after he set off a small explosion on a luggage trolley at Brussels Central railway station.

Federal prosecutor Eric Van Der Sypt said: "The suspect has been neutralised by the military that were present at the scene immediately after the explosion. He is dead."

He added: "This is considered as a terrorist attack."

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"A witness at Brussels Central station reportedly heard the man call out 'Allahu Akbar' – 'God is great' in Arabic – before the blast," The Guardian says.

According to ABC News, the bomber "lay still for several hours" while bomb squad officers checked if he was armed with further explosives.

Officials initially told local media the man, who is yet to be identified, was wearing a backpack and an "explosive belt". However, federal prosecutor spokeswoman Ine Van Wymersch later said there were no secondary explosives.

Station employee Nicolas Van Herrewegen said people within ten feet of the explosion were unhurt.

"It wasn't exactly a big explosion but the impact was pretty big. People were running away," he said.