Key facts
- Belgian police have identified suspects in the March 9 explosion at a synagogue in Liege.
- The attack, described as antisemitic, caused property damage but no injuries.
- Seven individuals have been arrested in Belgium as part of the investigation.
- A man named Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, suspected of ordering the attack, was arrested in Turkey and extradited to the U.S.
- Al-Saadi is accused of coordinating attacks for Kata’ib Hezbollah and the IRGC.
Belgian police announced on Friday that they have identified the suspects behind an antisemitic attack on a synagogue in Liege that occurred in March. The explosion on March 9 damaged the synagogue's windows and those of a building across the street, but no injuries were reported.
The Belgian federal prosecutor's office, which handles terrorism cases, is leading the investigation. Surveillance footage reportedly showed a man placing an object in front of the synagogue's door before driving away in a car with a stolen license plate. Seven people have been arrested in Belgium in connection with the investigation.
Authorities have linked the attack to a broader campaign of violence. Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a 32-year-old man suspected of ordering the attack, was arrested in Turkey by U.S. authorities and subsequently extradited to the United States. Prosecutors allege that al-Saadi played a central role in coordinating attacks on behalf of Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed armed group based in Iraq, and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The indictment claims al-Saadi supervised or attempted to organize attacks against Jewish targets in Europe and Canada, as well as planned attacks in the U.S., citing the Liege synagogue attack and similar incidents in the Netherlands.
Liege Mayor Willy Demeyer described the incident as an "antisemitic act," and Prime Minister Bart De Wever expressed solidarity with the Jewish community. The synagogue, built in 1899, also serves as a museum for the city's Jewish history. Security measures around Jewish sites in Belgium were increased following a spike in reported antisemitic acts after the October 7 attacks on Israel.