Explosion outside a synagogue in Liège, Belgium; no injuries

An explosion of still unknown cause occurred overnight Sunday to Monday in front of a synagogue in Liège. The mayor denounced it as "an anti-Semitic act." An explosion occurred overnight Sunday to Monday in front of a synagogue in Liège, in eastern Belgium, for reasons still undetermined, police said. They added that there were no injuries and that "only material damage was reported." The explosion occurred shortly before 4 a.m. in front of the synagogue located on Rue Léon Frédéricq in Liège. Windows in the buildings opposite were blown out, a Liège police spokesperson stated in a press release. The mayor of the city, Willy Demeyer, denounced "an anti-Semitic act" and "the importation (into Liège) of conflicts taking place elsewhere." An investigation has been opened. A security perimeter has been established to allow for the initial investigative steps. Federal police were expected on the scene, according to the French-language public broadcaster RTBF. The federal prosecutor's office, which handles organized crime and terrorism cases in Belgium, has opened an investigation, a spokesperson told AFP. The synagogue, built in 1899, is also a museum displaying various religious objects and the history of the Jewish community in Liège, according to its website.