Explosion outside Rotterdam synagogue sparks fire, damages building; 4 arrested

Dutch police said Friday they had arrested four young men on suspicion of setting off an explosion outside a synagogue in Rotterdam that caused a brief blaze and damage to the building.

After the blast, police monitored other synagogues as a precaution and stopped a vehicle near another building driven by someone matching the description of one of the suspects.

“It is not yet clear whether the suspects planned to detonate an explosive or set fire to another synagogue as well,” police said in a statement.

Two men were aged 19, one 18, and the fourth was 17 years old, said police, without specifying any potential motive.

Authorities said they were launching a “large-scale investigation into this serious incident” and appealed for witnesses to come forward.

An unverified video showing an explosion near a building resembling the targeted synagogue circulated on social media on Friday, which police said they were examining as part of their probe.

????BREAKING VIDEO: Unidentified perpetrators started a fire at the synagogue in Rotterdam during the early hours of Friday morning, Dutch police reported. The arson attack occurred at around 3:40 a.m., with records showing a call to the fire brigade minutes later reporting a smell… pic.twitter.com/qyiUSKpuEs

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Justice Minister David van Weel said the attack was “terrible news.”

“We will not tolerate antisemitism, intimidation, and violence. Local authorities are ensuring the safety of synagogues,” he wrote on X.

The minister voiced solidarity with the Dutch Jewish community, adding: “They must feel safe in the Netherlands.”

Rotterdam city mayor Carola Schouten said the attack had caused “a great deal of anxiety among our Jewish fellow citizens.”

There was no place for antisemitism, intimidation, violence, or hatred toward religious communities in her city, added Schouten.

The synagogue’s chairman, Chris den Hoedt, told public broadcaster NOS that the attack was “shocking” but came amid warnings of a lack of action over rising antisemitism.

“This is material damage,” he said, showing the scorched doors of the building.

“But the emotional damage our community feels is bigger and longer-lasting. We can repair this (the door), but not the rest,” he added.

“It is the prelude to what we have been seeing for two years: rising antisemitism. And the fact that little is being done about it,” he said.

On Monday, an explosion shook a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liege before dawn, causing some damage but no injuries.

On Thursday, an unidentified assailant rammed his car into a synagogue that had a preschool on the premises, on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, sparking a blaze. Security guards opened fire on the attacker, who was killed in the assault.

Antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiments have skyrocketed worldwide since the start of the war sparked by the devastating Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.