Explosion hits pro-Israel centre in the Netherlands

A blast hit a pro-Israeli centre in the Netherlands causing minimal damage and no injuries, police said Saturday, as the targeted group pointed to a spate of similar incidents across Europe. A police spokeswoman told AFP no one was inside the site run by Christians for Israel, a non-profit in the central city of Nijkerk, when the explosion went off outside its gate late on Friday. “Investigations revealed that a person dressed in black placed the explosive device,” the police added in a statement, appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Christians for Israel said it was “shocked” by what it described as part of “a worrying pattern” of incidents targeting Jewish and pro-Israeli sites in the Netherlands and neighbouring Belgium. “The fact that this took place on the eve of Easter, the most important celebration for Christians, makes it all the more poignant.” Police cautioned it was too early to determine a motive for the incident. An investigation was ongoing and no arrests have been made so far, they added.

Its “Israel Centre” in Nijkerk hosts exhibitions, lectures and a shop, according to the group’s website. The incident comes after a string of similar night-time attacks in Belgium, Britain and the Netherlands that has heightened concerns over antisemitism in the wake of the war in the Middle East.