Dutch police probe arson attack on Rotterdam synagogue

Amsterdam — Police in Rotterdam opened an investigation on Friday after an overnight fire attack at a synagogue in the Dutch port city, authorities said, in the latest incident amid heightened security concerns for Jewish communities following the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

No injuries were reported and no arrests had been made as of Friday morning, police said, adding that the fire had been extinguished.

Police said the blaze began at about 3:40 a.m. local time.“Around 3:40 a.m., a fire was started at the synagogue,” Rotterdam police said in a post on X, noting that the flames burned briefly before being brought under control.

Authorities have appealed for witnesses or anyone with relevant information to come forward as investigators work to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The fire comes days after another synagogue about 200 kilometres away in Belgium was struck by an explosion earlier this week, which authorities described as an antisemitic attack.

That incident caused property damage but no injuries.Separately, in the U.S. state of Michigan, a Lebanon-born American citizen drove a truck into a synagogue and its preschool before being shot dead, according to authorities.

Authorities and community groups have warned of rising risks to Jewish institutions worldwide following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran and Tehran’s subsequent response.

The Rotterdam investigation is ongoing as police seek to establish the motive and identify those responsible.