Man 'Blows Himself up' on Football Pitch

It is believed that this is an isolated act and authorities have been to the victim's home to ensure there are no other explosives there.

The victim has not been formally identified but Le Soir newspaper is reporting it was a former soldier who lived close by.

Panorama Steet and adjacent streets have been evacuated and residents will be able to return home when the clearance work is complete.

The incident is not believed to be terror related.

A witness said: "When I closed the door of my vehicle, I heard a big explosion, I saw pieces going up in the air and I thought it was an abnormal blast. I found that there was a person who blew himself up on the spot and I phoned directly to the Verviers police station who came in fairly quickly and within ten minutes they were there."

The authorities were quick to say this incident was not terror related, the Foreign Office has warned that terrorists are very likely to carry out attacks in Belgium.

There have been a number of high profile terrorist attacks across the country with the last one taking place in May when two police officers and a passer-by were killed in a shooting in the city of Liege.