Mt Moriah and the "Dome of the Rock", a holy site to Christians and Jews, given to the Arabs / Envato Market

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

JERUSALEM/HEEMSTEDE (Worthy News) – Dutch authorities have foiled a planned attack on a building housing a synagogue and school in the western town of Heemstede, detaining two teenagers suspected of preparing an explosion or arson with terrorist intent, officials said.

The suspects, aged 14 and 17 and both from Amsterdam, were arrested in the early hours of March 20 after police observed suspicious behavior near the Adriaan Pauwlaan area, a short distance from the synagogue-linked building. A subsequent search uncovered heavy fireworks believed to have been intended for an attack, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) said.

Officials believe the synagogue-linked building was the intended target, saying swift police action thwarted the plot. A judge ordered the suspects held for at least 14 days pending further investigation.

The arrests came days after Israel’s Foreign Ministry warned of what it described as “raging” antisemitism in the Netherlands, citing a series of recent incidents targeting Jewish people and institutions.

“In the Netherlands, an antisemitism epidemic is raging,” the ministry said. “We saw its scope in the pogrom against Israelis in Amsterdam in November 2024, in the attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam, and in the attack on a Jewish school in Amsterdam. Where will the next attack be? The Dutch government needs to do much more to fight antisemitism.”

RECENT ATTACKS TARGET JEWISH SITES

The foiled plot follows several incidents targeting sites linked to the Jewish community.

On March 14, an explosion damaged part of a Jewish primary school in Amsterdam, though no injuries were reported. Police said a televised appeal for suspects seen placing the device generated about 150 tips.

On March 16, a blast struck the Atrium office complex in Amsterdam’s Zuidas business district, reportedly targeting a bank. Police released footage showing a suspect arriving on a fatbike with another individual before the explosion caused minor damage to an entrance.

While that site was not a Jewish institution, authorities have said they are examining whether the incident forms part of a broader pattern of attacks in the country.

In Rotterdam, an explosive device detonated at the entrance of a synagogue in the early hours of March 13, causing a small fire but no injuries. Police have arrested five suspects in connection with that incident, including four teenagers detained shortly afterward.

EUROPEAN SECURITY CONCERNS

Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel said some of those detained appeared to have been recruited to carry out the Rotterdam attack.

The incidents have heightened concerns about attacks targeting Jews across Europe amid rising tensions linked to the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

A group calling itself “Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya” — Arabic for “Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right” — has claimed responsibility for some of the incidents, including the attack on a Jewish school in Amsterdam, though authorities have not verified those claims.

In earlier statements cited by Worthy News, the group — described by monitoring service SITE as aligned with Iran — also claimed involvement in other attacks targeting Jewish-linked sites in Europe, including a March 9 explosion at a synagogue in Liège, Belgium, which authorities described as an antisemitic act.

The group has also claimed responsibility for an incident in Britain late Sunday, when four volunteer ambulances operated by a Jewish organization were set on fire in London’s Golders Green area, a neighborhood with a large Jewish community. Those claims could not be independently confirmed.

AUTHORITIES PROBE LINKS

Authorities are investigating whether the incidents are connected, though analysts caution against assuming a coordinated campaign.

“It is absolutely not an organized and coherent group,” said Younes Saramifar of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Free University of Amsterdam), citing what he described as the amateur nature of material linked to the group.

The European Jewish Congress said the discovery of explosive materials near a place of worship in Heemstede was “extremely alarming” and highlighted ongoing threats facing Jewish communities.

“Preventing this attack likely averted potentially devastating consequences,” the group said, urging stronger protection measures and vigilance.

“Jewish communities must be able to live, gather, and pray in safety. Attempts to terrorise them will not succeed,” it added.

The incidents have underscored broader concerns about attacks targeting Jews across Europe at a time of heightened tensions following the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

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