Around 21:30 on Saturday night, 23 May, passengers waiting on the platforms of Simonis-Elisabeth metro station on Line 6 suddenly began coughing and complaining of burning eyes and throats. Brussels fire-and-rescue services, alerted by the station agent, rapidly evacuated the premises and set up an air-extraction protocol to clear the irritant. Preliminary CCTV analysis indicates that pepper spray (OC spray) was discharged inside a carriage just before it reached Simonis. Because carriages share the same ventilation circuit, the aerosol spread quickly through the train and onto the platform. Fifteen people were treated on-site for respiratory irritation; two were taken to Saint-Pierre hospital for observation. No life-threatening injuries were reported.
![Pepper-spray incident forces late-night evacuation of Brussels’ Simonis metro station]()
For international delegates heading to Brussels, services like VisaHQ can streamline visa and travel-document processing and even provide timely travel alerts on incidents such as Saturday’s metro disruption. Their Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers fast online applications and dedicated support, reducing administrative friction for conference organizers and business travelers alike.
Federal police established a security perimeter with support from the Brussels-West police zone while forensic teams collected residue samples. Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage to identify the suspect who released the spray; intentional release of a noxious substance in a public space carries a prison term of up to two years under Belgian law. STIB-MIVB suspended service through Simonis for roughly 75 minutes, forcing late-evening passengers to divert via Yser or Elisabeth. Although services resumed at 22:45, the incident added to a string of recent disruptions that have dented traveller confidence ahead of next week’s EU ministerial meetings in the capital. For mobility managers, the episode is a reminder to build redundancy into Brussels ground-transport plans—especially for late-night shifts and conference transfers—and to keep employees aware of emergency exits and alternative routing in the metro network.
For international delegates heading to Brussels, services like VisaHQ can streamline visa and travel-document processing and even provide timely travel alerts on incidents such as Saturday’s metro disruption. Their Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers fast online applications and dedicated support, reducing administrative friction for conference organizers and business travelers alike.
Federal police established a security perimeter with support from the Brussels-West police zone while forensic teams collected residue samples. Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage to identify the suspect who released the spray; intentional release of a noxious substance in a public space carries a prison term of up to two years under Belgian law. STIB-MIVB suspended service through Simonis for roughly 75 minutes, forcing late-evening passengers to divert via Yser or Elisabeth. Although services resumed at 22:45, the incident added to a string of recent disruptions that have dented traveller confidence ahead of next week’s EU ministerial meetings in the capital. For mobility managers, the episode is a reminder to build redundancy into Brussels ground-transport plans—especially for late-night shifts and conference transfers—and to keep employees aware of emergency exits and alternative routing in the metro network.
