Two suspects hide in Brussels subway tunnels after opening fire at a station

Chaos erupted on the metro network in the Belgian capital city of Brussels after two men opened fire with assault rifles at a station. The European capital is the scene of a heavy police deployment to track down the suspects, who have fled through the subway´s tunnels.

The shooting took place early in the morning, around 6 a.m. local time, at Brussels' Clémenceau station. Several lines of the subway public transport have been cut and without activity since then.

"The suspects fled towards the metro station and may still be in the tunnel between the Clemenceau and Brussels-Midi stations," Belgian authorities said. "The Brussels-Midi Police and the Federal Railway Police are conducting a search of the area. There were no injuries as a result of the shooting."

According to local press, AK-47-type weapons were used in the shooting. Such information is consistent with images from subway security cameras circulating on the networks. The images show two individuals carrying rifles and wearing sportswear and hoods.

Police hope to find the culprits thanks to a canine unit they have deployed in the tunnels. Otherwise, it will have to abort the search to resume train traffic.

Brussels, home to several European Union headquarters, is also the scene of a growing organized crime sector, leading to increasing insecurity on the streets. Fueled by immigration, several suburban areas such as Molebeek have become difficult for the police to control.

With this, the Belgian capital has become a battleground for the various organizations engaged in drug trafficking and fighting each other for influence. Added to this are the Islamist attacks which in the last 10 years have claimed eight lives.