Belgian soldiers shot a man suspected of being a suicide bomber at Brussels Central Station shortly after 9 pm local time on Tuesday night, AFP reported. A larger bomb failed to go off, VTM said.
The suitcase, later found to contain nails and gas bottles, caught fire and then exploded a second time more violently as the man ran downstairs to the platforms.
The attacker's improvised explosive device could have caused "a lot of harm" if it had worked properly, the official said. Soldiers killed the man after he charged at them shouting "Allahu akbar", Arabic for "God is great".
Security experts said Tuesday's incident could have been similar to "lone-wolf" assaults carried out by radicalised individuals with limited access to weapons and training.
The country's law enforcement agencies and intelligence services came under intense scrutiny amid claims that a series of leads were missed after the Paris attacks that could have led to the Brussels bombers. "It's inevitable", Brussels security consultant Claude Moniquet, a former French agent, told broadcaster RTL.
Belgium provides more foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria, per capita, than any other European nation, and authorities estimate that 130 of these battle-trained extremists have returned home.
There have been attacks in Paris and London in recent days, including the attack by a van driver who tried to run down worshippers outside a London mosque. No one else was hurt.
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A police spokesman said the man had been shot by soldiers who were on patrol in Brussels at the time.
Witness Nicolas Van Herrewegen, a rail worker, told Reuters: "He was talking about the jihadists and all that and then at some point he shouted: "Allahu akbar" and blew up the little suitcase he had next to him. People just took off". The prosecutor's office has not so far specified whether the man shot has died or is being treated for his injuries and have not identified the man.
Remy Bonnaffe, a 23-year-old lawyer who was waiting on the concourse for a train home to Ghent, said he was startled by an explosion as he listened to music on his headphones.
Photographs showing flames quickly circulated on social media. "He (the suspect) was still around but after that we didn't see him".
The suspect, whose identity has not been revealed, was reportedly wearing what appeared to be an explosive belt.
"In three years we have been confronted with several attacks or attempts and we say the zero risk does not exist", Prime Minister Charles Michel said after a specially-convened security meeting.
Michel, the prime minister, hailed the "courage" of security forces. The adjacent metro station was open as normal, the transport authorities said. Mainline trains were running through the station by the morning rush hour, but not stopping.
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