The incident occurred between 1am and 2am local time near a cafe in the Saint Gilles district of the Belgian capital and the suspect or suspects fled, a police spokesman said.

In total, three people were wounded. Two are in a life-threatening condition, while a third is stable, the local police department said.

Brussels’ regional authorities this year identified Saint Gilles as a drugs hotspot among 14 others in the capital’s 19 districts.

Police have not thus far established a link between the shooting and the city’s illegal drug trade.

Judicial officials were due to make a statement later on Thursday.

In recent years, Belgium has seen a rise in armed violence linked to rivalries between drug trafficking gangs.

There have been shootouts in the streets in Brussels and in Antwerp, whose port has become the main entry point into Europe for cocaine imported illegally from Latin America.