Six people are now in custody after authorities accused them of planning attacks on Jewish people in Belgium. The attacks were expected to be similar to the assaults that took place in Amsterdam on Thursday, Nov. 7.
Investigators said there were calls on social media for a “Jew hunt” in Antwerp. The calls used the same language that the attackers used to organize the attack in the Netherlands on Nov. 7.
The coordinated attacks on fans of a Tel Aviv soccer team left a half-dozen people injured. Dutch and Israeli leaders have now condemned those hit-and-run crimes as targeted antisemitic attacks.
Authorities in Antwerp said Snapchat users called for “action against Jews.” That prompted a police alert which resulted in the six arrests. Those arrests were made where groups of young people congregated in the city’s Jewish area.
Fears of additional copycat attacks are growing. Israel’s National Security Council has warned its citizens to avoid cultural and sporting events in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Great Britain.
