The man was shot by soldiers while wearing a rucksack and a bomb belt and detonated a device when he attracted the attention of security services at the station – one of the city’s main terminals - Belgian newspaper La Libre reported.

There were no other casualties in the incident with police quickly getting the situation under control, according to the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office spokesperson Eric Van Der Sypt.

“This is considered as a terrorist attack,” he said. “The suspect has been neutralised by the military that were present at the scene immediately after the explosion…he is dead.”

Van Der Sypt said the prosecutor’s office still had “no idea” of the suspect’s identity.

Reacting to the incident, the Foreign Office (FCO) updated its travel advice for Belgium advising travellers: “There has been an incident at Brussels Central Station. The British Embassy is in contact with local authorities and urgently seeking further information.

“You should remain vigilant, avoid the immediate area and follow the advice of the local security authorities.”

The Belgian capital has been on high alert since 32 people were killed in attacks on Brussels airport and the city’s Metro system claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group in March last year.

Nicolas Van Herrewegen, a railway sorting agent who was in Brussels Central Station as yesterday’s (June 20) incident unfolded, said: “I went down to the mezzanine level. Someone was shouting. Then he cried: ‘Allahu Akbar’ and he blew up a trolley.

“I was behind a wall when it exploded. I went down and alerted my colleagues to evacuate everyone. [The suspect] was still around but after that, we didn’t see him.

“It wasn’t exactly a big explosion but the impact was pretty big. People were running away.”

As the station and Grand Place were evacuated, businesses and restaurants were ordered to close and draw down their shutters by security services.

Metro lines running through the station were also briefly suspended on orders of the police.