Dutch authorities were hunting two people suspected of setting off an explosion outside a Jewish school in Amsterdam, police said.
The blast happened overnight and was directed at the school’s outer wall in the Buitenveldert district, according to a City Hall statement. The statement said the overnight blast caused only limited damage.
In a police statement, investigators said the two suspects arrived on a motor scooter. One suspect placed an object against the wall and then ran back to the scooter, with the detonation following as they sped away.
Mayor Femke Halsema said Amsterdam’s Jewish residents feel “fear and anger” and are increasingly being targeted by antisemitism. She said, “That is unacceptable. A school must be a place where children can learn safely. Amsterdam must be a place where Jews can live safely.”
Security around Jewish schools and other sites was reinforced after an explosion near a synagogue in Liege, Belgium, and after a blast that caused a small fire at the entrance of a synagogue in Rotterdam on Friday.
Justice and security minister David van Weel said on X that the incidents occurred in close succession. “Two nights in a row, a cowardly attack with an explosive at a Jewish building. First in Rotterdam, now in Amsterdam,” he posted.
Van Weel added that “The safety of Jewish institutions has our full attention” and that “An investigation into the perpetrators is underway.”