Following the collision, the body responsible for analyzing the terrorist threat in Belgium (OCAM) raised its alert level for a few hours from 2 to 3 for places frequented in Brussels before lowering it “in reason for reassuring elements” in the ongoing investigation, a spokesperson told AFP, without further details.
The Brussels public prosecutor’s office is to give a press conference at 5:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. GMT).
“Shortly before 1 p.m., a van drove onto a terrace on rue Saint-Michel”, in the very busy historic center of the city, “and the driver fled in his vehicle” after the collision, a told AFP a spokeswoman for the Brussels-Capital police.
“The emergency services were very quickly on the scene, there were six minor injuries who were treated on the spot”, while the van was found shortly after, she added. The driver was still wanted on Friday around 3:30 p.m.
“The investigation is ongoing, it is too early to comment” on the circumstances of the collision, police said.
“What is certain is that the vehicle was traveling at extremely high speed” towards the terrace, where there was “a mixture of tourists, city employees, residents and Belgians frequenting the capital” , observed the mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close, quoted by the daily Le Soir.