Brussels station rifle arrest, AFP source says

Belgian police arrested a man at Bruxelles Midi station on Thursday, and a person close to the investigation told AFP he had a Kalashnikov automatic rifle in a bag.

The person said the man was detained in mid-morning as he got off a train at the station, one of Brussels' main rail hubs and home to a Eurostar international terminal.

Belgian media reported that the suspect had arrived on a train from France, but there was no official confirmation.

Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin confirmed an arrest and said it showed that stepped-up patrols at stations, with military assistance, were necessary and should be continued or expanded.

Authorities in Brussels have increased efforts to clamp down on gang violence linked to drug trafficking after a spate of shooting incidents. In late August, several people were injured in a string of incidents, including one in which two masked gunmen opened fire on a police station.