AMSTERDAM – An explosion at a Jewish school in Amsterdam was a "deliberate attack against the Jewish community", the mayor of the Dutch capital has said.
Femke Halsema said the overnight blast caused limited damage to the outer wall of the school in the Buitenveldert district. No injuries were reported.
"This is a cowardly act of aggression towards the Jewish community," the mayor said, adding that Amsterdam "must be a place where Jews can live safely". Prime Minister Rob Jetten said "there must be no place for antisemitism" in the Netherlands. Security had already been stepped up at Jewish institutions, after a suspected arson attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam on Friday.
Firefighters and police were quickly deployed to the scene after the explosion at the school. They also said police were examining CCTV footage reportedly showing a person placing explosives. After the blast, Halsema said she understood "the fear and anger of Jewish Amsterdammers" who are "increasingly confronted with antisemitism".
An investigation is under way, and so far police have not publicly commented on possible motives of the attack. Later on Saturday, the Israeli foreign ministry said that "in the Netherlands, an antisemitism epidemic is raging". In its statement, the ministry mentioned the recent attacks in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, as well as "the pogrom against Israelis in Amsterdam in November 2024" - a reference to an attack on Israeli football fans in the Dutch capital.
"Where will the next attack be? The Dutch government needs to do much more to fight antisemitism," the Israeli statement added. In recent days, there have been concerns that Jewish and US communities around the world could be targeted, following joint Israeli-US strikes against Iran. (BBC)
