An investigation has been launched after a man threw two airsoft grenades at the Israeli embassy in Brussels on Friday, according to local media reports.
“At about 5:30 on Friday morning, an unknown man reportedly threw an airsoft grenade in the direction of the Israeli Embassy,” a spokesperson for the Public Prosecutor’s Office told Belga News Agency. “The investigation is ongoing and in the interest of this, the Prosecutor’s Office will not communicate further on this matter.”
While airsoft grenades do not explode like normal grenades, they use compressed air to expel pellets in all directions in a less deadly imitation of a real grenade, according to The Brussels Times.
The office later confirmed, according to VRT News, that “the police went to the scene and informed the duty prosecutor. Officers from the Federal Police lab and bomb disposal experts from DOVO attended the scene.”
Israel’s ambassador to Belgium posted on X that “early this morning two airsoft grenades were launched at ...the Embassy of Israel in Brussels We are all ok. No one was hurt and there was no damage. The Belgian authorities along with our Embassy security are investigating the event.”
Early this morning two airsoft grenades were launched at my Embassy. The Embassy of Israel in BrusselsWe are all ok. No one was hurt and there was no damage. The Belgian authorities along with our Embassy security are investigating the event. https://t.co/6MPXY6QzdF
— Ambassador Idit Rosenzweig-Abu (@IditAbu) May 24, 2024
Unknown motivation behind the attack
Police did not publicly identify a motive for the attack, but Israeli embassies have been targeted several times since October 7.
Israel’s consulate in Munich was attacked on Wednesday. The week before, antisemitic messages were left outside Israel’s embassy in Copenhagen. Additionally, last Friday police announced that they were investigating a shooting near Israel’s embassy in Stockholm.
Ambassador to Sweden Ziv Nevo Kulman said that the embassy was closely following the investigation, and thanked the local authorities for their review of the incident and for enhancing the security measures around the diplomatic mission and the Jewish community.
“Unfortunately, our embassy has already been subject to threats and attacks,” said Kulman. “We will not be intimidated by acts of terror.”
The Brussels embassy attack coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Belgium Museum shooting, in which four people were killed in an antisemitic terror attack.
Frenchman Mehdi Nemmouche was found guilty of killing the four. His defense argued that Nemmouche was caught up in a plot targeting Mossad agents, according to RFI.
Michael Starr contributed to this report.