On Monday morning, a man armed with a knife was detained near the official residence of the Belgian Prime Minister, RTBF reports.
The man was apprehended by military police and taken to the station. No police officers were injured, according to Barend Leyts, the communications director for Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
The incident occurred around 10:00 a.m. According to a police statement, the detained individual had threatened soldiers present at the scene. The military personnel managed to neutralize him before the police arrived. An investigation is underway, but the man’s motives remain unknown.
For safety reasons, journalists working near the site of the incident were temporarily confined to the building of the President of the Chamber of Representatives’ office. They were later allowed to leave.
Alexander De Croo, who resigned following his party’s poor performance in the European Parliament elections in June, remains in office as caretaker prime minister while coalition negotiations are ongoing.
