Explosion damages building in Brussels' Schaerbeek district
A blast blew out windows near a café-restaurant on Rue Navez in Schaerbeek, Brussels, in the early hours of Sunday; prosecutors are treating it as a likely criminal act.
An explosion blew out windows near the café-restaurant L'Andalou on Rue Navez in Schaerbeek, a district of Brussels, in the early hours of Sunday, Belgian prosecutors said. No one was hurt, either among the building's occupants or neighbours, the Brussels prosecutor's office said.
Police from the Brussels-North zone, which covers Schaerbeek, Evere and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, confirmed the blast to the Belga news agency and set up a security perimeter. The bomb disposal unit SEDEE was also called in, prosecutors said. A school stands directly opposite the site of the explosion.
"The hypothesis of a criminal act is favoured, and various investigative steps are under way to determine the exact circumstances of the explosion," the Brussels prosecutor's office said, adding that it did not wish to give further details at this stage.
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What we know
- 2+ outlets · Het Nieuwsblad, La Libre +1 An explosion hit a building near the café-restaurant L'Andalou on Rue Navez in Schaerbeek, Brussels, in the early hours of Sunday.
- 1 outlet · Het Nieuwsblad No one was injured; several windows were blown out.
- Official · Brussels prosecutors Brussels prosecutors said a criminal act is the preferred line of inquiry, and the bomb disposal unit SEDEE was deployed.
Not yet confirmed
- Unconfirmed The exact circumstances and motive behind the explosion.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
The blast struck a public space directly opposite a school, though it happened before school hours on a Sunday with no one hurt. Brussels prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation and deployed the country's bomb disposal unit, pointing towards a deliberate device rather than a gas leak or other accident.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 1 countries.
Source balance
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Intelligence file
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Confidence and impact scores, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Questions and answers
- What happened in Schaerbeek?
- An explosion blew out windows near a café-restaurant on Rue Navez at around 4am on Sunday, with no injuries reported.
- Do police think it was deliberate?
- Brussels prosecutors said they are favouring the hypothesis of a criminal act and have opened an investigation.
- Was anyone hurt?
- No. Prosecutors said neither the building's occupants nor neighbours were injured.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.