Belgian soldiers deployed to protect Antwerp’s Jewish quarter intervened after a 28-year-old man allegedly threatened Jewish residents with an emergency hammer and attempted to assault an elderly Orthodox Jewish man.
The suspect, who is known to police for previous offences, was detained by soldiers until police officers arrived and arrested him for questioning. No injuries were reported.
According to Antwerp police, the incident began at around 8:20 p.m. on Lamorinièrestraat, one of the main streets in the city’s Jewish district. Police spokesman Wouter Bruyns said the man allegedly harassed members of the Jewish community, threatened one person with an emergency hammer, knocked another man’s hat off his head, pushed a passer-by and threw traffic signs onto the street.
Soldiers stationed in the area since March 2026 as part of heightened security measures around Jewish institutions and communities quickly intervened, restrained the suspect and contacted police.
“The suspect was arrested and will be questioned,” Bruyns said. “He is known to police, including for public nuisance and drug-related offences.”
Witnesses said the man attempted to flee after noticing the soldiers. Moments earlier, he had allegedly tried to strike an elderly Orthodox Jew.
“He tried to hit him in the face, but missed and only knocked off his hat,” one witness said. “It was lucky the soldiers were there. Who knows what would have happened otherwise.”
The increased security presence in Antwerp follows a series of antisemitic incidents across Europe in recent months. On 9 March, an explosion occurred near a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège, prompting further security measures around Jewish communities.
Residents of Antwerp’s Jewish district said the continued presence of soldiers has increased their sense of safety. Tzvi Graszkopf, chairman of the Antwerp branch of the Jewish community security organisation Shomrim, said protection around the community had been significantly reinforced since March following the Liège synagogue explosion and a rise in antisemitic incidents.
Residents, he said, are “satisfied and feel safer” due to the permanent presence of security forces.
