Belgian Security Official: Iran Behind Attacks on Jewish Targets

Belgium's threat analysis unit (CUTA) has directly implicated Iran in two terrorist attacks targeting Jewish sites in Belgium during May. Geert Vermeulen, head of CUTA, stated in an interview with RTBF that the perpetrators acted "certainly" on Tehran's orders, aiming to strike Jewish targets globally. The incidents involved an explosive device detonated near a synagogue in Liege and a car fire in Antwerp's Jewish quarter, neither of which resulted in injuries. Vermeulen emphasized these were not isolated acts but part of a coordinated campaign, citing similar events in the Netherlands and Britain. Belgian intelligence also thwarted plots, including one to bomb a synagogue in the Dutch town of Heemstede. Belgium maintains its national terror threat level at "serious" (degree three out of four), unchanged since the October 2023 Brussels shooting. CUTA continuously assesses threats based on intelligence. In May, Turkish authorities arrested Saad Daoud Al-Saedi, suspected of orchestrating attacks across Europe, dismantling a key network cell. No further attacks have been recorded by Belgian security services since his arrest.