An explosive device detonated before dawn outside a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège, damaging the building and nearby homes; officials condemned the blast as a serious anti-Semitic incident, as police launched an investigation

An explosion occurred early Monday morning outside a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège, causing property damage but no injuries.

The blast happened around 4:00 A.M. local time near the synagogue on Rue Léon Frédéricq. The synagogue’s main window was shattered, and windows in buildings across the street were also blown out by the force of the explosion, according to local residents cited by the French-language Belgian public broadcaster RTBF.

Liège mayor Willy Demeyer described the incident as a “criminal and anti-Semitic act.”

“I absolutely condemn this violent act of anti-Semitism which runs counter to Liège’s tradition of respect for others,” Demeyer said.

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