Around 5:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. local time) a man in his forties was arrested “near there” in possession of a firearm, said Eric van der Sijpt, spokesman for the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office. Another firearm was later discovered in his car, according to the spokesperson.
“We are not saying anything at this stage regarding the motivations, that will be the subject of the investigation”, more “we probably avoided an attack”, added Mr. van der Sijpt, according to whom hundreds of people were expected for this event. The first arrivals for the event scheduled for 8:30 p.m. were banned from entering the theater until the police might inspect the premises, the Belga agency reported. The ceremony was nevertheless able to take place, starting regarding an hour late.
