An explosion hit a Jewish school in Buitenveldert, Amsterdam, on Friday night, causing limited damage, according to Dutch police. The incident, described as a ‘targeted attack’ by Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, followed an arson attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam earlier this week and a series of potential terror attacks across Europe, possibly linked to the war in the Middle East between the United States–Israel and Iran.
Mayor Halsema condemned the attack as a ‘cowardly act of aggression’ against the Jewish community, adding that it forms part of an ‘unacceptable’ rise in antisemitism. Police are reportedly trying to establish a connection between the two incidents in the country.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, reacting to the attack, said he would meet members of the Jewish community shortly. ‘I understand the anger and fear,’ he stressed, adding that Jewish people ‘should always feel safe’ in the country.
After the United States and Israel launched a joint military operation against Iran at the end of February, many analysts predicted a new wave of terrorism in Europe, especially targeting Jewish communities across the continent. Before the Dutch incidents, a synagogue in Belgium was also hit by an explosion, mainly damaging the windows and the façade of the building, with no injuries reported.
While Belgian authorities launched an investigation into the incident as a possible terror attack, a previously unknown Islamist group, the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right (IMCR), claimed responsibility for the bombing. In a statement, the group urged ‘warriors of Islam’ to defend their religion, posting a video of the attack, which has yet to be verified by Belgian police. The group believed to be behind the Rotterdam arson as well.
One of the first bombings linked to the Iran war occurred on 8 March in Oslo, Norway, where an explosion hit the US embassy building, damaging doors and windows. Norwegian authorities arrested three brothers and their mother in connection with the case earlier this week. The suspects were Norwegian citizens with an immigration background tied to Iraq. One suspect has already admitted placing the device at the entrance of the embassy, while the others denied involvement.
Soon after the conflict in the Middle East escalated, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán warned that such a conflict in the region would bring serious consequences for Europe, most notably an increased terrorist threat and rising energy prices. He also warned that sleeping terrorist cells linked to Iran could easily be activated. To prevent similar attacks in Hungary, the government raised the level of the terror threat and introduced several countermeasures in recent weeks.
‘Due to the Hungarian government’s zero-tolerance approach toward illegal migration, the country is considered one of the safest places for Jewish communities in Europe’
Due to the Hungarian government’s zero-tolerance approach toward illegal migration, the country is considered one of the safest places for Jewish communities in Europe. This stands in stark contrast to several Western European countries, which promote open-border policies and view mass migration as an opportunity rather than a security and civilizational threat.
Just before the Amsterdam bombing, Ali Bahreini, Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, left open the possibility that Tehran could strike European countries in an interview with Euronews. When asked whether this could include sites located in Europe, Bahreini responded: ‘We will defend our country according to what we need to make our country secure and to make sure that there is no aggression against our country.’
Related articles: