BREAKING NEWS: Man is held at gunpoint by police after being spotted ‘wearing a long coat with wires protruding from it’

Police have held at a man at gunpoint in the Belgian capital Brussels after he was reportedly spotted wearing a heavy winter coat with wires protruding it.

A massive security operation was launched near Place de la Monnaie in the centre of the city after the man was seen acting suspiciously.

He also wore a long coat, which is said to have had cables hanging from it.

This is despite temperatures in Brussels reaching up to 32 degrees today, and he drew the attention of a security guard who alerted police.

Pictures from the scene have shown two armed police officers pointing their guns at the man while he places his hands on his head.

A bomb disposal robot is also understood to have moved in close to the scene.

A Brussels police spokeswoman confirmed that a had been detained and that his coat is being analysed.

Shops nearby have been evacuated and several streets are closed as a security cordon has been set up.

Brussels is already on high alert and the streets of the city are packed as Belgium prepares to celebrate its national day tomorrow

The incident comes just months after an attack at Brussels airport and on the city’s metro in which 32 people were killed and dozens more injured.

It also follows an attack in Nice in the south of France last week, where 84 people were killed in a truck attack by an ISIS fanatic while they watched Bastille Day fireworks.