Man held for ‘driving at crowd’ in Belgium

Brussels, March 23 (IANS) A man was arrested in the Belgian city of Antwerp after he drove at high speed towards a crowd on Thursday, police said.

According to police, the vehicle had French number plates and was driven "at high speed" into the Meir, Antwerp's main shopping street, by a man of north African descent.

"A man in camouflage was taken away," BBC quoted a police spokesman as saying.

According to Antwerp police chief Serge Muyters, the vehicle forced "pedestrians to leap out of the way".

No injuries were reported. Security has been stepped up in the city, he said.

"On behalf of all citizens of Antwerp, I would like to thank the army, the police and the rapid response team who intervened," the city's Mayor Bart De Wever tweeted.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel praised the city's authorities for doing an "outstanding job".

The attack comes a day after a British-born lone ranger drove a car along London's Westminster Bridge, killing four persons -- including the attacker -- and injuring 40.

It was also the day Belgium marked the first anniversary of the twin bomb attacks here which left 32 persons dead.

(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)