Anderlecht (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A manhunt commenced by Brussels Police following gunshots fired near the Anderlecht Clemenceau metro station at 6:15 am on February 5, 2025. The suspects escaped through metro tunnels, which disrupted public transport, but no physical injuries were recorded.
Belgian police engage in active investigation across Brussels after a Clemenceau metro station shooting took place in Anderlecht during first light on Wednesday. At 6:15 am, two men wearing balaclavas appeared outside the station carrying Kalashnikovs when they began firing before entering the metro tunnels. Local media sources indicated that suspects used their weapons to attack a particular person at the site without any reported injuries.
Public transport services experienced severe disruptions because two gunmen used Kalashnikoves to attack near the Clemenceau metro station at Anderlecht, thereby suspending metro lines 2 and 6 along with tram lines 4, 10, 51 and 82.
“We are looking for several suspects. It is a small group, possibly 2 or 3 people,”
Said Sarah Frederickx of the Brussels South Local Police Service.
“We are looking for multiple suspects,”
Confirms spokeswoman Sarah Frederickx of the South police zone.
“They may still be armed; we don’t want to take any unnecessary risks.”
Around noon, the men left the Clemenceau station, but the search is not over yet, the public prosecutor’s office reports.
“No one has been arrested yet. The investigation is continuing; there are currently no indications that this shooting has a terrorist motive.”
The lab has also arrived on site for the forensic examination.
“The public prosecutor’s office has also appointed a ballistics expert; several bullet casings were found.”
According to RTBF, a command post has been set up in Anderlecht’s town hall. The new Minister of the Interior, Bernard Quintin (MR), left the Chamber debate this morning to go to Anderlecht’s town hall.
“I want to understand what is going on; we are now going on the ground. The investigation is in full swing; I will not comment further.”
À Anderlecht avec le Bourgmestre et les forces de police suite aux événements de ce matin.
— Bernard Quintin (@BernardQuintin_) February 5, 2025
Nous suivons la situation de près. pic.twitter.com/Quve4gW5aF
A local resident tells VRT NWS that he heard five or six shots. Another local resident adds that she is scared.
“I went outside and wondered what is happening. Is this war? We have to send our children to school, we take the metro. We are scared, yes.”
Law enforcement officials from federal police and railway police, together with special forces, are actively searching the metro tunnels between Clemenceau and Midi stations. A command post operates at Anderlecht’s town hall for operational coordination.
Security camera recordings reveal the shooters while they discharged multiple gunshots outside of Clemenceau station as they descended into the metro system.
“The suspects fled in the direction of the metro station and may still be in the tunnel,”
Confirmed a police spokesperson. Law enforcement teams containing ballistics experts have collected shell casings found at the crime scene through their forensic investigations.
Public transport company MIVB’s spokesperson Guy Sablon highlighted the impact on commuters:
“South Station is the busiest station on the network… The impact is major.”
The interruption of the metro system’s operations remains massive. Several stations, together with several tunnels, remained shut down for prolonged periods. Metro lines 2 and 6 are interrupted. The disruption impacts four tram lines together with Metro lines 2 and 6 and trains on lines 10, 51, and 82.
“This concerns thousands of passengers,”
Says Guy Sablon of MIVB.
“The South Station is the busiest station on the network, there are also many commuters who arrive there by train and then transfer to the metro. So the impact is great. And we especially don’t know how long it will last.”
Is this part of a larger trend?
Authorities believe this shooting resulted from drug activities instead of terrorist motives because they remain vigilant about organised crime in Brussels. Drugs-linked violence has previously struck Anderlecht through metropolitan shooting incidents such as the Sint-Guido metro station event in 2024, where one person got hurt.
Engaging both international travellers and local commuters, Brussels-Midi Station acts as an essential transportation centre because it sits near Clemenceau. Drug-inspired violence has become an escalating problem that threatens public security across Belgium’s metropolitan areas. A shooting incident in Brussels in 2023 killed two Swedish nationals while unconnected to the previous attack.
