An explosion at a Jewish school in Amsterdam early Saturday has triggered heightened security concerns as authorities investigate what officials describe as a targeted incident against the Jewish community. The blast caused damage to the school building but did not result in any injuries. Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema described the explosion as an attack directed at the Jewish community, according to a report by Reuters citing Dutch news agency ANP.
Police have launched an investigation and are examining surveillance footage that reportedly shows the individual responsible for detonating the explosive device. According to Sky News UK, investigators are reviewing camera footage believed to capture the suspect near the scene.
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Authorities say the damage from the explosion was limited, but the incident has raised alarm due to a recent string of similar attacks targeting Jewish institutions.
Police probe amid rising tensions
The incident in Amsterdam occurred just a day after police in the Netherlands arrested four individuals in connection with an arson attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam. Police said the fire in Rotterdam broke out around 3:40 am local time after an explosion damaged part of the synagogue building. No injuries were reported in that incident either.
The suspects, aged between 17 and 19, were detained after officers stopped a car behaving suspiciously near another synagogue in the city. Authorities said the description of the driver matched one of the individuals believed to be involved in the earlier attack.
Investigators are still trying to determine whether the suspects had plans to target additional Jewish institutions. Police have also appealed to the public for any information that could assist the investigation.
Security stepped up across Jewish institutions
The incidents have taken place amid growing concerns about antisemitic violence in several countries. Jewish schools, synagogues and community centres worldwide have reportedly strengthened security in recent weeks.
According to reports, the heightened alert follows fears of retaliatory attacks linked to the ongoing tensions in the Middle East after US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran that began two weeks ago.
Authorities in Amsterdam have increased surveillance and security around synagogues and other Jewish institutions in the city following the explosion.
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Similar incidents have also been reported elsewhere in Europe and the United States. Earlier this week, an explosion damaged a synagogue in Belgium, about 200 kilometres southeast of the Netherlands. Officials there described the incident as an antisemitic attack, although no one was injured.
In another incident in Michigan in the United States, a Lebanon-born US citizen crashed a truck into a synagogue and its preschool before being shot dead by authorities.
Investigations into the Amsterdam explosion are ongoing as officials attempt to identify the suspect and determine the motive behind the attack.
