A FORMER York journalist who now works in Brussels has told of today's terror attacks and says he fears something else may happen.

Tony Mallett, who worked for the Yorkshire Evening Press in the 1990s and then the York Advertiser, says the close-knit nature of the expat community in Brussels means he expects he will know someone who has been injured or worse.

He said he had been inundated with messages from old friends in York today, checking that he was okay.

The attacks came as the Belgian capital was on high alert following the arrest of Paris atrocity suspect Salah Abdeslam in the city last week.

A suicide bomber struck near the American Airlines desk at the airport, with local media reporting that shots were fired amid shouting in Arabic.

The explosion on the Metro was near European Union buildings and the US embassy.

Mr Mallett, who edits the magazine Brussels in View, told The Press today: "The metro is just a few stops away and is very busy as it serves the EU institutions.

"I work from home at the moment but have many friends who regularly use Maelbeek metro. This has been much more worrying than the first lockdowns because there have been actual explosions and many people didn't get the message out that they were safe until one or two hours after it all happened.

"The phones are either down or difficult, so Facebook was the main point of contact. Sirens are still going off and there is a fear that something else may happen.

"A friend of mine who runs my local bar has just told me that the lockdown near her is much worse than last time, too. She was allowed to stay open but this may not happen today.

"I was going to walk there - I won't be getting an overground tram, even if they are running."

Mr Mallett said he had many close friends who could have been on the metro.

He said: "Fortunately, my close circle have all checked in but this is terrible, nonetheless. - More sirens just now.

"Given the close-knit expat community here, many of whom work at the institutions, it is more likely than not that we will all know somebody who has been injured or worse."

He said people had been told to stay in their homes if possible, and a lot of staff in the European institutions were locked in their offices.

No trains are running to or from Brussels Midi, including Eurostar services, and people are advised not to go to the station.

He said that after the Paris attack and Molenbeek raids last year, most metros were closed but buses and trams were running, however all public transport is now suspended.

Yorkshire MEP Richard Corbett is in Brussels, and had passed the metro station just minutes before the explosion. He said there is a sense of panic around Brussels, with rumours circulating on social media. 

"This is exactly what terrorists want to do - terrorise people. The people most affected are those killed or hurt, but then there are scores of people thinking 'that could have been me'."

His colleagues and staff are now all accounted for, he added.

Many people are sheltering inside EU buildings and institutions, he said.

"Inside the buildings people are calm. The security people on the entrances are doing a very professional job checking everybody who comes in. Of course they don't know who the next person trying to come in is. 

"They are doing a very courageous job."

Outside the streets have an eerie feel as most people follow official advice to stay indoors, he added.

"With every hour that goes by you think that perhaps it was just limited to those two attacks, in those two places. There was only an hour between those two, so you think if they were planning a series of attacks it would have happened by now."