Justice minister: young people were recruited for synagogue attack; Iran probe underway

“Everything now points to the fact that the suspects in the attack on the synagogue in Rotterdam were recruited,” said Justice Minister David van Weel on Tuesday afternoon in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament. “And the possibility that Iran is involved in this attack is also being actively investigated.”

Authorities have arrested four suspects from Tilburg: two men aged 19, one aged 18, and a 17-year-old boy. A jerrycan was discovered in their vehicle.

Another attack occurred at a Jewish school in Amsterdam on Saturday, again causing no injuries. The minister said on the same day that authorities are looking into a possible link between the two incidents, even though they appear to involve separate groups of attackers.

Van Weel declined to draw a connection between Iran and the attacks, even after several questions from his party colleague Ulysse Ellian, who argues that the incidents show what he called the “fingerprint” of the Iranian regime. “I’m not able to discuss specific measures or their timing in this public forum. However, this matter has our complete focus, not just because of events in the Netherlands, but also due to developments abroad. Investigators are also expressly considering a possible connection to Iran.”

The minister later claimed that Iran exploits local criminal networks to strike Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe, citing a threat assessment from the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV). The analysis highlights past cases such as the killings of Iranian Dutch citizens in Almere in 2015 and The Hague in 2017, where Dutch intelligence (AIVD) believes Iran played a role. It also notes suspected Iranian links to a series of attacks on Israeli targets in Sweden and Denmark since early 2024.

The minister noted that the suspects in the Rotterdam attack do not have Iranian roots, but stressed that this does not exclude Iranian involvement. “We are seeing young people in the Netherlands willing to perform such acts for payment,” he said, adding that these arrangements often take place online, for instance through Telegram channels.

Van Weel stated that addressing the recruitment of young people to carry out attacks is crucial to preventing similar incidents in the future. He did not comment on whether further steps are being taken to stop additional attacks.

Authorities have collected over a hundred tips regarding two blasts in Amsterdam. A spokesperson said that many of the tips relate to the scooter the suspects rode to the Jewish school on Zeelandstraat prior to one of the explosions.

On Monday evening, the TV program Opsporing Verzocht showed footage of the two suspects in an attack at the Jewish school in Amsterdam on the night of Friday to Saturday. Around 3:45 a.m., two suspects planted an explosive against the exterior wall of the Jewish school. Afterward, they mounted their scooter and fled the scene.

In addition, the police shared descriptions of two suspects involved in an explosion at an office building in Amsterdam’s Zuidas district on Sunday night, seeking tips from the public. The blast took place at a branch of the American Bank of New York Mellon.

A police spokesperson said on the program that the two suspects involved in the explosion at the Atrium building arrived on a fat bike. They then separated: one walked toward Amsterdam-Zuid station, while the other continued on the fat bike along Parnassusweg. Both were wearing black clothing.