Four teens suspected in Rotterdam synagogue explosion, prosecutors say

Four teens were arrested and are suspected of setting off an explosive outside a synagogue in Rotterdam, Dutch prosecutors said Monday. Prosecutors said the teens appeared before an investigating magistrate after they were detained following the blast in the port city.

The Rotterdam Public Prosecutor’s office said the suspects were suspected of “causing an explosion, arson and attempted arson, all with a terrorist intent.” The office said no one was injured when the explosion caused a small blaze around 3:40 a.m. Friday (0240 GMT) at the synagogue.

Prosecutors said the attack was “aimed at instilling serious fear in a population group, in this case the Jewish community.” Prosecutors said the suspects were detained soon after the blast in a vehicle spotted close to another synagogue in Rotterdam.

Dutch privacy rules meant the suspects’ names were not released. The judge ordered the four teens held for a further two weeks while investigations continue, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said two of the suspects are 19, one is 18 and another is 17. They said investigations were ongoing as the case proceeded through the court process.

The news came as synagogues have been on edge and ramping up security, amid warnings after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting Feb. 28 led to war in the Middle East, according to the report.

In the Netherlands, a Jewish organization said in a message on X that an Islamist group posted a video online showing the Rotterdam explosion. The organization said the same group had earlier claimed responsibility for a synagogue attack in Liege, Belgium, earlier Monday, and it said the authenticity of the Rotterdam video could not be verified immediately.

The organization also said the same group posted video of an attack early Saturday in which two people set off an explosion outside a Jewish school in Amsterdam. Police in Amsterdam have not arrested any suspects yet in connection with the school attack, according to the report.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said the city’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.”