Dutch authorities have arrested a 20-year-old man suspected of involvement in planning an attack on a synagogue in Heemstede, near the city of Haarlem, as the Netherlands faces a sharp escalation in antisemitic incidents.
According to Dutch police and the public prosecution service, the suspect was allegedly involved in plans to plant an explosive device or set fire to the synagogue. His arrest was extended Friday by another 14 days.
1 View gallery
The suspect was allegedly involved in plans to plant an explosive device or set fire to the synagogue
(Photo: TTStock Photography/Shutterstock)
DutchNews reported that the arrest follows the detention of two teenagers from Amsterdam, ages 14 and 17, who were arrested near the same synagogue on the night of March 19 to 20 on suspicion of possessing powerful explosives. A week later, another teenager from Amsterdam was arrested on suspicion of similar offenses.
The latest arrest took place on June 9. Investigators suspect the man was part of a group with terrorist intentions against the synagogue and the Jewish community.
The foiled attack is part of a broader series of antisemitic incidents targeting Jewish sites in the Netherlands this year, including the late-night arson of a synagogue in Rotterdam. Four young people admitted carrying out the Rotterdam attack, but told a local court they did not know the building was used as a synagogue. Prosecutors, however, argue that the incident was a targeted act of terrorism.
There was also an explosion at a Jewish school and office complex in Amsterdam. Responsibility for that incident was claimed by a Muslim terror group called the “Islamic Movement of Members of the Right,” which also claimed responsibility for similar attacks on synagogues in Liège, Belgium, on March 9 and Rotterdam on March 13, as well as an attack in Greece on March 11.
The series of incidents has raised alarm over what appears to be an unprecedented wave of antisemitic attacks and attempted attacks in the Netherlands. In response, the Dutch Justice Ministry has increased its annual budget for protecting Jewish buildings to 2 million euros.