An overnight explosion damaged the outer wall of a Jewish school in Amsterdam's Buitenveldert district, causing limited damage and no injuries. Mayor Femke Halsema condemned it as a "cowardly act of aggression" amid rising antisemitism. Police have CCTV footage of the suspect
A police car parked outside a Jewish school, in Amsterdam, where an explosion was reported overnight. PIC/AFP
An overnight blast against an exterior wall of a Jewish school in Amsterdam caused no injuries, Mayor Femke Halsema said on Saturday, denouncing it as "a cowardly act of aggression".
An investigation has been opened into the incident, which follows nighttime attacks this week in front of synagogues in the Belgian city of Liege and the Dutch port city of Rotterdam, news agency AFP reported.
Halsema condemned the attack in a statement, noting that Amsterdam's Jewish community has been "increasingly often confronted with antisemitism and this is unacceptable".
"A school must be a place where children can attend classes in complete safety. Amsterdam must be a place where Jews can live in safety," she said.
Police and fire departments quickly arrived at the scene of the blast in the Buitenveldert district in the south of Amsterdam, the statement said.
"The material damage is limited," the mayor stated.
The police have CCTV footage of a person placing the explosive device, Halsema said.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten called the incident "terrible" on X and said "Antisemitism has no place in the Netherlands."
"I understand the anger and fear this provokes, and I will quickly meet with the Jewish community. It must always feel safe in our country," he added.
Wave of synagogue attacks continues
Following a similar attack on Friday on a synagogue in Rotterdam, Jetten had condemned any act of violence or intimidation against the Jewish community or any other religious minority.
Four men suspected of being involved in the Rotterdam attack have been arrested, Dutch authorities announced on Friday.
The series of attacks on synagogues comes after the launch of the US-Israeli War on Iran, a conflict that has since broadened across the Middle East.
On Monday, an explosion shook a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liege before dawn, causing some damage but no injuries.
It was strongly condemned by Belgian politicians and European Union officials.
On Thursday, a man rammed his car into a synagogue on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, sparking a blaze.
The suspect, identified as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, died on Friday from a "self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head," an FBI official told reporters.
Media reports have indicated his relatives were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon in recent days.
Amid increasing violence and threats against the Jewish community in the United States, there has been a boost in demand for security services specifically protecting Jews, with officers stationed at schools, campuses and other buildings.
(With AFP inputs)
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