Explosion hits Jewish school in Amsterdam, Mayor condemns attack

AMSTERDAM: An early-morning explosion on Saturday damaged a Jewish school in Amsterdam, in what the city’s mayor called “a deliberate attack on the Jewish community.”

The incident occurred in a well-to-do residential area on the city’s south side. Mayor Femke Halsema said police and firefighters responded swiftly, limiting the damage. No casualties were reported.

Security measures at synagogues and other Jewish institutions in Amsterdam had already been heightened following an overnight arson attack at a synagogue in central Rotterdam on Friday. In Belgium, a similar explosion sparked a fire at a synagogue in Liege earlier this week.

“This is a cowardly act of aggression against the Jewish community,” Halsema said, adding that antisemitism in Amsterdam has been on the rise and must not be tolerated.

Authorities said concerns over attacks against Jewish communities have increased in the wake of recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory threats from Tehran.