The authorities said Belgian soldiers "neutralised" the suspect, although it was not clear if the suspect survived.
The Prosecutor, Eric Van der Sijpt, described the incident as a "terrorist act".
"Certainly, the assailant wanted to cause a great damage", the spokesman said.
"People were hiding in the restaurant we were eating in, but it settled after a few minutes", he added. On Monday, an armed man was killed in Paris after he rammed a auto loaded with weapons and explosives into a police convoy on the Champs-Élysées. He later confirmed the suspect was dead but declined to identify him or say if he was known to authorities.
In March 2016, Brussels saw a large terrorist attack, in which twin suicide blasts rocked Zaventem Airport and another explosion targeted Maalbeek Metro station.
The Islamic State group claimed the attacks, which were carried out by the same Brussels-based cell behind the November 2015 suicide bombings and shootings in Paris which left 130 people dead.
There were no other casualties, according to the federal prosecutor's office, which is due to give more details at 11:00AM local time.
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Warmbier, 22, a University of Virginia student, died Monday in Cincinnati, less than a week after his release from North Korea . China's state-run media, however, warned that the U.S.'s expectations may be unrealistic and could lead the region to war.
But the man was not wearing an explosive belt as was previously thought, Van Der Sypt said. Afterwards, the man went down to the platform, reportedly "in pursuit of the station master". The perpetrator of the attack was carrying a suitcase which partly exploded and caught fire before he abandoned it. "This bag contained nails and gas bottles", he added. "The soldier immediately opened fire and hit the individual several times".
"There must have been some 20, 30 people spread around the screens there", Bonnaffe said in an interview with The Associated Press, painting an image of the scope of carnage that could have happened.
Van der Sypt said the man's home in the Molenbeek district of Brussels had been searched after the attack.
Michel said Belgium would keep its terror alert on level three of four.
A concert by the band Coldplay at the King Baudouin Stadium will go ahead Wednesday night as planned, with additional security measures, Michel said.
Brussels central station remained shut overnight, re-opening at around 8 a.m. local time (0600 UTC) on Wednesday.
Rail company spokeswoman Elisa Roux said Tuesday evening that trains were diverted from the station and buses sent out to take passengers to the area.
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