A large fire at a crime laboratory in Brussels was probably an arson attack designed to destroy criminal evidence, authorities have said.
One or more attackers rammed a car through three fences at the city’s institute of criminology in Neder-Over-Hembeek at 2.30am local time on Monday immediately before an explosion at the laboratory.
The empty building in the suburb north of Brussels was left in flames following the blast, but no one was injured.
It is unclear so far what happened to the suspects.
Fire service spokesman Pierre Meys said the “extremely powerful” explosion “was probably not accidental”, Agence France-Presse reports.
Earlier reports said the attackers had detonated a bomb during the attack, but the Brussels prosecutor's office rejected reports of a bomb attack.
“It's probably not terrorism. It's a criminal act,” spokeswoman Ine Van Wymersch told the Associated Press. “I cannot confirm that there was any bomb.”
The institute carries out forensic examinations in criminal cases and is linked to the Belgian federal justice ministry.
Belgium remains on high terror alert following an attack claimed by Isis on Brussels airport and the city’s metro in March in which 32 people were killed by three suicide bombers.
