Federal prosecutors have taken control of the investigation after an early morning blast outside a synagogue in Liège raised concerns of a possible terrorist act.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Authorities in Belgium are investigating an explosion outside a synagogue in the city of Liège after a blast early Monday morning damaged the entrance area of the building and prompted a federal terrorism inquiry.
The explosion occurred around 4 a.m. outside the synagogue located on Rue Léon Frédéricq in Liège, a city in Belgium’s French-speaking Wallonia region. No injuries were reported.
Belgian federal prosecutors have taken over the investigation after initial findings suggested the possibility of a terrorist motive, according to a report from Le Soir detailing how officials are examining possible indications of a terrorist act.
Authorities also dispatched the country’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service (SEDEE) to examine the scene and determine the type of device involved in the blast.
Officials have not publicly identified a suspect or confirmed the cause of the explosion, and investigators have not yet disclosed a possible motive.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever addressed the incident in a message posted on social media, condemning the attack and expressing support for the country’s Jewish community.
“An explosion occurred in front of a synagogue in Liège last night. Antisemitism is an attack on our values and our society, and we must fight it unequivocally,” De Wever wrote in a statement shared on X.
“We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community in Liège and across the country.”
Belgium’s Interior Minister Bernard Quintin also condemned the explosion, calling it an attack directed at the country’s Jewish population.
Quintin described the incident as an “abject antisemitic act that directly targeted Belgium’s Jewish community,” in comments posted on X.
The interior minister said security would be strengthened at other sensitive locations across the country while investigators determine the nature of the attack.
The incident comes amid heightened security concerns across Europe following rising tensions in the Middle East and fears of retaliatory violence targeting Jewish and American sites.
Authorities in several European countries have warned that locations associated with Jewish communities or U.S. institutions could face threats related to the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
Belgium, like other European nations including France, Germany and the United Kingdom, has experienced a sharp increase in antisemitic incidents since the October 2024 attacks carried out by the Islamist militant group Hamas.
Security agencies across the continent have also warned about the possibility of extremist groups or foreign-linked operatives carrying out retaliatory actions in response to the military campaign against Iran by the United States and Israel.
German officials recently warned that American and Jewish sites across Europe could be potential targets, including threats linked to suspected Iranian “sleeper cell” networks operating on the continent.
The explosion in Liège occurred only hours after another blast elsewhere in Europe. Authorities in Norway are investigating an explosion that struck the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, which officials are also examining as a potential terror attack.
Belgian authorities said the investigation into the synagogue explosion remains ongoing as forensic teams analyze evidence and review security footage from the area. No arrests had been announced as of Monday afternoon.
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