The Dutch government launched a probe into the possibility that warning signs from Israel before the recent attacks on Israeli football fans went unnoticed, according to Justice Minister David van Weel.
An investigation is still being conducted on possible warning signs from Israel. The Public Prosecution Service has stated that it aims to apply fast-track justice as much as possible, Van Weel said in his letter late on Friday evening, adding that it is “the absolute priority” to identify every suspect.
He added that the investigation would also look into whether the attacks were orchestrated with anti-Semitic motives as social media videos of what happened show police riot police, with some attackers shouting anti-Israeli slurs. The footage also shows Maccabi Tel Aviv fans chanting anti-Arab slogans ahead of Thursday night’s match.
At least five people were injured in Thursday night’s attacks and were treated in hospital. All of them were discharged later on Friday. The attacks involved fans of the visiting team Maccabi Tel Aviv. As of Saturday, police detained four people out of the 63 initially detained.
Political leaders have condemned the attacks as anti-Semitic. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on Friday he was “horrified by the anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli citizens” and had assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone that “the perpetrators will be identified and prosecuted.”
Amsterdam banned demonstrations all weekend and gave police emergency stop-and-search powers in response to the unrest.
