Police in Brussels cordoned off a central square where they surrounded a man wearing a heavy coat with wires hanging out, which they later called a false alarm.
Police closed off the area near Place de la Monnaie and evacuated surrounding buildings Wednesday while a bomb squad investigated the suspicious device.
Belgium has been under high alert since twin suicide attacks struck the capital city's airport and subway.
The March 22 bombings killed 32 people and left dozens more injured.
The Islamic State group said it was behind the attacks.