Image used for representation only.
Brussels, Belgium: Belgian police on Thursday arrested a man in possession of a Kalashnikov automatic rifle at one of the main train stations in Brussels, a source close to the investigation told AFP.
The incident comes as authorities in the city have stepped up efforts to clamp down on gang violence related to drug trafficking after a spate of shooting incidents.
The man was detained mid-morning as he got off a train with the weapon in a bag at Bruxelles Midi station, home to a Eurostar international terminal, the source said.
Belgian media reported that the suspect had arrived on a train from France, but there was no official confirmation.
"I can confirm that an arrest took place this morning. This demonstrates that the stepped-up patrols at stations, with the assistance of our military, are necessary and must be continued or expanded," interior minister Bernard Quintin said in a statement.
The recent wave of gun violence has rattled the Belgian capital, which hosts the headquarters of the European Union.
In late August several people were injured in a string of incidents, including one in which two masked gunmen open fire on a police station.
