Amsterdam Police Hunt Two Suspects After Explosion at Jewish School

Dutch police are searching for two individuals who detonated an explosive device outside a Jewish school in Amsterdam overnight. The attack is part of a troubling pattern of incidents targeting Jewish institutions across the Netherlands and Belgium.

Law enforcement officials in the Netherlands launched a manhunt Saturday for two individuals believed responsible for detonating an explosive device outside a Jewish educational facility in Amsterdam overnight.

According to Amsterdam City Hall, the blast occurred in the Buitenveldert neighborhood and struck the exterior wall of the school, resulting in minimal structural damage to the building.

Police investigators determined that the pair traveled to the scene using a motor scooter. Surveillance evidence shows one individual positioning an explosive device against the building’s wall before retreating to the waiting scooter, with the blast occurring as the duo fled the area.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema expressed concern about the growing climate of antisemitism affecting the city’s Jewish population, stating they experience “fear and anger” due to increasing targeting.

“That is unacceptable. A school must be a place where children can learn safely. Amsterdam must be a place where Jews can live safely,” she said.

The incident prompted enhanced security measures at Jewish educational institutions and religious sites following similar attacks in the region. On Friday, explosions occurred near a synagogue in Liege, Belgium, and at a Rotterdam synagogue entrance, which sparked a small fire.

Dutch Justice and Security Minister David van Weel addressed the escalating situation on social media platform X, writing: “Two nights in a row, a cowardly attack with an explosive at a Jewish building. First in Rotterdam, now in Amsterdam.”

“The safety of Jewish institutions has our full attention. An investigation into the perpetrators is underway,” van Weel added.