Authorities in the Belgian capital of Brussels are investigating what appears to be an arson attack on a synagogue that injured three people.
The fire was reported around 6:30 AM local time (1:30 AM ET), in the suburb of Anderlecht. Three people were injured from smoke inhalation, officials told Deutsche Welle.
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Investigators believe the fire was the result of an arson attack, but were not prepared to state if the attack was antisemitic. “All leads are open, ” Laurens Dumont, spokesman for the city prosecutor said.
A representative of the Jewish community doubted that the attack was antisemitic, reasoning “If this act had been antisemitic, the perpetrators would have burned the Torah… And that’s not the case. I can only guess. Here, we live in peace with everyone, ” AFP cited La Derniere Heure newspaper.
The fire broke out only two days after the reopening of the Brussels Jewish Museum, closed since four people were shot and killed there on May 24. A Frenchman of Algerian origin, Mehdi Nemmouce, 29, is the suspect in those murders. He spent time fighting for ISIS in Syria.
