Six young Arabs were arrested on Sunday near the Chareidi neighborhoods in Antwerp for planning to attack Chareidi Jews.

Antwerp police confirmed the information to local media.

“A few young people planned yesterday to carry out a similar action as in the Netherlands (an hour and a half drive from the Netherlands) in the Jewish quarter of Antwerp, and as a result, we increased patrols,” said Antwerp police spokesperson Wouter Bruyns.

The police arrested six suspects, including several minors. Some of the suspects were caught in a local park and others were caught in the Chareidi neighborhood itself.

“Suspects with suspicious items in their pockets, or flags, were detained for several hours,” Bruyns said. However, he added that the suspects were released once “the threat was removed.”

“We are very quick in our responses,” he said. “Last week, we managed to intercept messages related to the Jewish neighborhood in Antwerp. We are very vigilant.”

Police began patrolling the Chareidi neighborhoods after threatening messages were circulated on social media calling for violence against local Jews. The messages appeared shortly after the mass attack on Israelis in Amsterdam last week.

In addition to foot patrols, the police deployed a drone over the Chareidi neighborhood and the local Shomrim organization was on standby with about twenty volunteers.

According to the report, no warnings were issued to the residents so as not to frighten them.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)