A synagogue in the eastern city of Liège was hit by an explosion on Sunday night, local police report. No one was injured, but there was considerable material damage. The mayor of Liège, PM De Wever and interior minister Quintin have all condemned the attack.
The entire neighbourhood of the synagogue in the rue Léon Frédéricq was startled by an explosion shortly before 4 a.m.
No one was injured in the incident and only material damage was reported: the windows at the front of the building were blown out. The windows of the buildings opposite were also shattered by the loud bang.
The police say the street will remain closed while the investigation is ongoing. A security zone was established in the immediate vicinity of the synagogue.
Detectives from the counter-terrorism unit of the federal judicial police in Liège arrived at the scene this morning. The federal public prosecutor's office is now heading the investigation.
Priministerial condemnation
Prime Minister Bart De Wever (Flemish nationalist N-VA) has expressed his solidarity with the Jewish community. ‘Anti-Semitism is an attack on our values and our society, and we must fight it unequivocally. We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community in Liège and throughout the country.’
‘The explosion in front of the synagogue in Liège is a horrific anti-Semitic act that was directly aimed at the Jewish community in Belgium,’ Home affairs minister Bernard Quintin (Francophone liberal) posted on X. He announced that security at other similar locations will be stepped up.
Quintin will visit Liège this afternoon, where he will speak with members of the security services. Officers are already ‘extremely vigilant’ since the renewed violence in the Middle East, he said.
‘Violent act of anti-Semitism’
The investigation is being conducted by the counter-terrorism department of the federal judicial police in Liège.
The mayor of Liège, Willy Demeyer, too has strongly condemned the violent act.
‘It is unacceptable that we import conflicts from outside into our city,’ he says. The mayor is making a reference to the US and Israeli attacks on Iran.