Brussels-Midi train and metro station was evacuated Monday evening after two suspicious packages were discovered on separate platforms. Federal police reported that one package was found on platform 20 and the other on platform 18 around 5:20 p.m., prompting the precautionary evacuation of both train and metro sections of the station.
All rail traffic to and from the station was suspended, causing significant disruptions during peak hours. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (DOVO) unit was called to the scene to inspect the packages and determine whether they posed a threat.
The incident comes just one day after Brussels marked the tenth anniversary of the 2016 terrorist attacks, which targeted Maelbeek metro station and Zaventem airport, killing 32 people and injuring more than 300 in what is considered the worst peacetime attack in Belgium.
Authorities noted that the anniversary has intensified focus on intelligence and counterterrorism. Belgium’s threat level remains at “serious,” or three out of four, since the October 2023 attack, when an armed individual killed two Swedish football fans before being shot dead by police.
