After synagogue attacks, Belgium sending soldiers to guard Jewish neighborhoods
Belgium will begin deploying military troops to reinforce security at synagogues and Jewish schools in the wake of rising antisemitic threats, lawmakers said Monday.
The decision follows an explosives attack last week at a synagogue in Liège, in the eastern part of the country. A new terror group called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, said to be targeting Jewish institutions in Europe, claimed responsibility for that blast, which did not injure anyone.
The group, which is believed to be linked with Iranian terror networks, also said it caused explosions at Jewish institutions in Amsterdam and Rotterdam last week in the Netherlands.
Soldiers in Belgium will begin working alongside local police forces “as soon as possible,” in coordination with the Federal Police, Defense Minister Theo Francken and Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said Monday.
The plan is believed to cover 20 synagogues around the country and four Jewish schools in Antwerp, local media reported. The city is home to most of Belgium’s 30,000 Jews. Estimates say that more than 50 soldiers will patrol with police for “as long as necessary.”
The decision will help protect Belgium’s Jewish community and “support........
