Blast outside Jewish school in Amsterdam, no injuries: mayor

An overnight blast against an exterior wall of a Jewish school in Amsterdam did not cause any injuries, Mayor Femke Halsema said Saturday, denouncing "a cowardly act of aggression".

An investigation has been opened and the incident comes after nighttime attacks this week in front of synagogues in the Belgian city of Liege and the Dutch port city of Rotterdam.

Haslema condemned the attack in a statement, noting that Amsterdam's Jewish community has been "increasingly often confronted with antisemitism and this is unacceptable."

"A school must be a place where children can attend classes in complete safety. Amsterdam must be a place where Jews can live in safety," she said. 

The police and fire departments quickly arrived at the scene of the blast in Buitenveldert district in the south of Amsterdam, the statement said. 

"The material damage is limited," the mayor said. 

The police have CCTV footage of a person placing the explosive device, Halsema said. 

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten called the incident "terrible" on X and said "Antisemitism has no place in the Netherlands."

"I understand the anger and fear this provokes, and I will quickly meet with the Jewish community. It must always feel safe in our country," he added.

Israel's foreign ministry also weighed in on X, saying: "In the Netherlands, an antisemitism epidemic is raging."

"Where will the next attack be? The Dutch government needs to do much more to fight antisemitism," the ministry wrote.

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- String of attacks -

Following a similar attack Friday on a synagogue in Rotterdam, Jetten had condemned any act of violence or intimidation against the Jewish community or any other religious minority.

Four men suspected of being involved in the Rotterdam attack have been arrested, Dutch authorities announced Friday. 

The series of attacks on synagogues comes after the launch of the US-Israeli war on Iran, a conflict that has since broadened across the Middle East. 

On Monday, an explosion shook a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liege before dawn, causing some damage but no injuries.

It was strongly condemned by Belgian politicians and European Union officials.

On Thursday, a man rammed his car into a synagogue on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, sparking a blaze. 

The suspect, identified as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, died Friday from a "self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head," an FBI official told reporters. 

Media reports have indicated his relatives were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon in recent days.

Amid increasing violence and threats against the Jewish community in the United States, there has been a boost in demand for security services specifically protecting Jews, with officers stationed at schools, campuses and other buildings. 

mad/rmb/giv