Three people have been injured in Brussels after a woman wielding a large knife, possibly a machete, reportedly attacked several passengers on a bus.

The woman, who has not been identified, stabbed one person in the back and another in the stomach as they were getting off the vehicle in the Uccle area of the Belgian capital on Monday (22 August) at around 5pm local time.

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As armed police arrived at the scene, the woman fled to a nearby gallery. They confronted the suspect, who refused to comply. After several warnings she was shot in the arm and arrested Mail Online reports.

Mayor Armand de Decker reportedly told local media: "When police arrived the person threatened an old lady with a knife wickedly. The police ordered her to drop the knife, she did not. They shot her in the arm, and that was it done."

The assailant is said to have had a history of mental health problems and the police have so far, ruled out terrorism as a motive for the attack.

Two people have been taken to hospital, one with serious and one with minor injuries. The area has been sealed off as an investigation into the incident gets underway. The bus route on which the attack took place has been suspended RT.com reports.

Brussels has been on high alert following a spate of terror attacks in Paris last November and suicide bombings in Brussels in March. 32 people were killed when Islamic State(IS) supporters detonated nail bombs in Brussels Airport and a train station in the capital.