Belgium Confirms Iran Orchestrated Anti-Jewish Attacks in Liège and Antwerp
Belgian security authorities confirmed that Iran orchestrated terrorist attacks against a Liège synagogue and an Antwerp vehicle in March, marking a direct link to Tehran.
Belgian authorities have confirmed that Iran was behind the terrorist attacks targeting Jewish sites in the country six months ago. Gert Vercauteren, head of the Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (CUTA), stated on Thursday that the March attacks against a synagogue in Liège and a vehicle in Antwerp's Jewish quarter were carried out under orders from Tehran.
Investigation and Regional Context
In an interview with the RTBF broadcaster, Vercauteren stated that the perpetrators acted with certainty under Iranian directives, aiming to target Jewish and Israeli sites worldwide. He noted that the March incidents represented the peak of Iranian-backed activity within Belgium. Following the arrest in Turkey of a key suspect involved in coordinating attacks across the continent, no further network-linked strikes have been recorded.
"The perpetrators acted under direct orders from Tehran, targeting Jewish and Israeli sites as part of a coordinated campaign," stated Gert Vercauteren, head of CUTA.
On March 9, an explosive device detonated near a synagogue on Léon Frédéricq Street in Liège. A week and a half later, a vehicle was torched and completely destroyed in the heart of Antwerp's Jewish quarter. No casualties were reported in either incident. Vercauteren noted that the investigation is cross-border, as the Belgian events occurred almost simultaneously with terror plots in Netherlands, including an attempted attack on a synagogue in Heemstede.
Security Measures and Threat Level
The national threat level in Belgium remains at 3 out of 4, categorized as serious, where it has stayed continuously since the October 2023 Brussels shooting that killed two Swedish football fans. The attacks in Liège and Antwerp occurred amid a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents across Europe. Following the Liège bombing, Belgium increased security measures, deploying military personnel alongside police to protect approximately 20 synagogues and four Jewish schools in Antwerp.
