BREAKING: Brussels Central station: Blast suspect shot dead

Troops shoot dead a man suspect of causing small explosion at train station, in what police call 'terrorist attack'

teams had cleared the area, was the man confirmed dead. There was no information on his identity.

"We consider this a terrorist attack," prosecutor Eric Van Der Sypt told reporters by the nearby Grand Place.

A policeman stands guard over a deserted street near Central station [Francois Lenoir/Reuters]

Police had cleared streets around Brussels' landmark Renaissance town square after the blast, which occurred around 8:30pm (18:30 GMT) as tourists and locals were enjoying a hot summer's night.

"There is a very heavily armed police and military presence," Al Jazeera's Neave Barker, reporting from near the Central station, said. "The whole area around here is very much on lockdown."