An explosion damaged a Jewish school in Amsterdam, which the city’s mayor called “a deliberate attack against the Jewish community.”
The blast occurred early Saturday in a residential district on the city’s south side, causing only minor damage, Mayor Femke Halsema said in a press release, as police and fire crews reached the site promptly.
No one was hurt. Police have CCTV footage showing a person placing the device, Halsema added.
Security at synagogues and other Jewish venues in the capital had already been tightened after an overnight arson attack on a Rotterdam synagogue on Friday.
Later that day officers detained three males, aged 18 to 19, and a 17‑year‑old boy. A car driving suspiciously near another synagogue was stopped, and the driver’s description matched one of the suspects linked to the earlier attack.
Police announced a “large‑scale investigation into this serious incident” and asked witnesses to come forward. “It is not yet clear whether the suspects intended to detonate an explosive or set fire to another synagogue as well,” a police spokesperson said. No motive was provided for the arrests.
An unverified video showing an explosion near a building that resembles the targeted synagogue circulated on social media on Friday, and police said they are reviewing it as part of the probe.
Across the border in Belgium, an explosion sparked a fire at a synagogue in Liège on Monday.
Halsema described the school attack as “a cowardly act of aggression against the Jewish community.”
Jewish residents of Amsterdam are facing a rise in antisemitism, she said, adding that it is unacceptable.
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