An explosion outside a Belgian synagogue this morning has been labelled a “violent act of antisemitsm” by the mayor of the city where the blast occurred.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion that occurred at around 4am local time near the Synagogue de Liège in the city of Liège, eastern Belgium.
The blast shattered some of the windows of the synagogue and the area has been cordoned off as federal and local police investigate the incident. Other buildings and property in the vicinity were also damaged, according to the news agency AFP.
Police said there were no injuries and that “only material damage [was] to be reported,” according to Le Monde newspaper.
The federal prosecutor's office, which is responsible for organised crime and terrorism cases in Belgium, has opened an investigation, a spokesperson announced.
While the police have not yet confirmed that it was a targeted attack on the synagogue, the city's mayor has indicated he believes it was.
Commenting on the blast, Mayor Willy Demeyer said: “The mayor and the city council express their utter condemnation of this extremely violent act of antisemitism, which is contrary to Liège's tradition of respect for others. There can be no question of importing external conflicts into our city.”
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever wrote on social media: "We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community."
The synagogue, which features a striped stone façade with alternating light and reddish horizontal bands, was established in 1899, and also serves as a Jewish museum.
Its design reflects neo-Romanesque architecture with Moorish references, rounded arches, symmetrical towers and decorative stonework.
A large circular rose window sits at the centre, above a row of arched windows and entrances, while two square towers with dark, rounded roofs frame the façade. The structure faces a quiet city street lined with bollards and neighbouring buildings.
Additional reporting by Katie Grant
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