Brussels lockdown: Belgian police, special forces seal part of capital after reports of possible gunman

Belgian police have sealed off part of a suburb in Brussels amid media reports that an armed man could be at large.

Broadcaster RTL quoted Forest mayor Marc-Jean Ghyssels as saying that police "suspect the presence of an armed man".

A major armed police operation in Brussels is underway as officers block the suspected gunman in building. The incident is taking place near a primary school with nearly 350 people there.

Belgian police special forces prepare to take position after an area of the Forest commune was closed by Belgian police and special forces, in Brussels, Belgium.

The children have been taken inside the building as a safety precaution.

Several armed police officers were seen hiding behind buildings and staking out a building rooftop in the Forest neighbourhood of the Belgian capital.

A Belgian police officer prepares his gun while taking position on a roof after an area of the Forest commune had been closed by Belgian police and special forces, in Brussels, Belgium.

A police chopper has been deployed and was spotted flying overhead.

There's no immediate indication that the incident is terror-related and there are no known injuries.

According to a media report, a spokeswoman said that "special units of the federal police" had been deployed after a Polish man reported that someone had been murdered on Thursday morning.

Brussels has been on high alert since suicide bombers killed 32 people at the city airport and on the metro in March 2016.