Man 'shot dead' after Brussels machete attack on soldiers

The suspect is reported to be in a critical condition after being shot by the soldiers he was attacking (AFP)

A man has been shot dead after reportedly attacking soldiers in Brussels with a machete.

Neither of the two soldiers are believed to have been seriously harmed. Belgian media reports suggest one was injured in the head and the other in the hand.

Images showed paramedics at the scene, accompanied by a heavy police presence. The soldiers were on patrol at the time of the stabbing.

The attack took place in Emile Jacqmain Avenue in the centre of the Belgian capital. Witnesses said the suspect, believed to be a 30-year-old man of Somalian heritage, shouted "Allahu Akbar" before the attack but Belgian prosecutors said he was not known to have links to terrorist groups.

Police have sealed off the scene of the incident.

A Belgian Federal Police spokesperson said: "A man armed with a knife attacked a group of soldiers. The soldiers fired at him and neutralised the individual."

A spokesperson for the federal prosecutor's office confirmed the suspect had been killed.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted: "All our support is with our soldiers. Our security services remain on alert. We are following the situation closely.

Brussels has been on high alert since a series of suicide bombings at the city's airport and on its metro system killed 32 people in March 2016.

In 2014 four people were killed when a gunman opened fire at the city's Jewish Museum.