Explosion damages synagogue in Belgium’s Liege
An explosion damaged a synagogue in the eastern Belgian city of Liege early Monday, blowing out windows of the building and nearby structures, local authorities said, reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
The blast occurred at around 04:00 a.m. local time. No injuries were reported. Police cordoned off the area as counterterrorism investigators launched a probe.
Liege Mayor Willy Demeyer strongly condemned the incident.
“We express our total condemnation of this extremely violent act of antisemitism, which is contrary to the Liege tradition of respect for others,” Demeyer said, adding that “there can be no question of importing external conflicts into our city.”
Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin described the explosion as “an abject antisemitic act that directly targeted Belgium’s Jewish community.”
“The judicial investigation has been launched by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office,” he said.
The synagogue, inaugurated in 1899, is a historic monument in Wallonia and also houses a museum dedicated to Liege’s Jewish community.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Bahrain’s Ministry of Health confirmed 32 civilians were injured, including four seriously, in an Iranian drone attack in the Sitra area earlier today.