Four arrested for Rotterdam synagogue arson; Suspects caught near another synagogue
The police arrested four suspects for an explosion and fire at a synagogue on A.B.N. Davidsplein in Rotterdam early Friday morning. The suspects were caught near another synagogue, the police reported.
The arson on A.B.N. Davidsplein occurred around 3:40 a.m. The police checked camera footage and searched the area. They also monitored other synagogues in the area to prevent any further incidents.
At one of these synagogues, patrolling officers noticed a vehicle behaving strangely. The officers decided to check the car. One of the four people inside matched the description the police had of one of the perpetrators in the A.B.N. Davidsplein explosion. The police arrested all four suspects: two 19-year-old men, an 18-year-old man, and a 17-year-old boy.
According to the police, it is not yet clear whether the suspects had plans to set fire to another synagogue. The investigation is ongoing.
Minister David van Weel of Justice and Security called the arson “terrible news” and said it was “very likely that this is an anti-Semitic-driven incident. He spoke of “intimidation and violence against the Jewish community.”
Rotterdam mayor Carola Schouten expressed support for the city’s Jewish community. The incident sparked “a lot of feelings of fear among our Jewish fellow citizens,” she said. “We will continue to closely monitor safety around the synagogues.”
Footage of the fire has been circulating on social media. Broadcaster NOS verified the video. The account sharing the images previously also posted a video of an explosion at a synagogue in Liège, Belgium. The poster claims that the same Iran-backed Iraqi group is behind both attacks, but this has not been verified.
The police are including the footage in their investigation.
Chris den Hoedt, the chairman of the synagogue, told NOS that this was a “targeted attack on a Dutch religious community.” He said that the explosion and fire did not do a lot of damage to the building. “But it’s primarily the emotional impact. It is the prelude to what we have been seeing for two years: increasing anti-Semitism. And the fact that little is being done about it.”
