Syrian man convicted of firebombing Israel embassy in The Hague gets 2.5 years in prison

A man born in Syria was found guilty on Tuesday in the March 21 firebombing of the Israeli embassy in The Hague. The District Court in The Hague sentenced Osama A. to 2.5 years in prison for throwing a Molotov cocktail at the building. The sentence matched the recommendation from the Public Prosecution Service.

The burning bottle he threw hit the facade of the embassy at the height of the first floor. The Molotov cocktail fell directly into a hedge. The business complex was slightly damaged. There were no injuries.

Security camera footage was used to apprehend the 25-year-old suspect within minutes. He was taken into custody a few hundred meters away.

Although the damage was limited, it was a dangerous act that caused “considerable” fear. It was a threat to “both the building and people who were close to the impact. It was not an impulsive action by the suspect, but the execution of a pre-conceived plan,” the court ruled.

A. said during his trial earlier this month that he wanted to send a message to Israel with his action to make it clear they should stand down in the war in the Gaza Strip. The Syrian-born suspect said he has personally experienced that “children are dying of hunger,” he told the court. “It was a message to Israel: war is wrong, please stop.”

The court thinks that the Amsterdammer "could and should have" shown his feelings in a different, peaceful way. "Especially at a time when there are increasing tensions in society due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, it is very important that diplomatic traffic can take place unhindered." The court ruled that drawing attention to the situation in Gaza does not justify his actions.