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Police investigate overnight fire attack on Rotterdam synagogue

By Thomson Reuters Mar 13, 2026 | 3:26 AM

AMSTERDAM, March 13 (Reuters) – Dutch police open an investigation into an arson attack on a synagogue in ​Rotterdam on Friday, in the ‌latest incident of suspected antisemitic violence since the start of the U.S-Israeli war on Iran.

No one was injured as a result ‌of ​the fire, which was ⁠now over, and ⁠no arrests have been made, the city’s police said.

“Around 3:40 a.m., a fire was started at the synagogue,” ​Rotterdam police said in a post on X. “The fire burned for ⁠a short time before ⁠extinguishing,” the police added, calling ​for any witnesses to come forward with ​evidence.

Another synagogue, 200 km (124 miles) away ‌in neighbouring Belgium, was hit by an explosion on Monday in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack. ⁠That attack caused damage but no injuries.

In Michigan in the U.S., a Lebanon-born U.S. ⁠citizen crashed ‌his truck into a ⁠synagogue and its preschool and ​was ‌shot dead.

Concerns about possible attacks ​against Jewish ⁠communities around the world have risen following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran and a subsequent response by Iran.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro;Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta, ​William Maclean)