Police boost security at Bonn synagogue after several arrested for vandalism

Police in Bonn, Germany, said that they had stepped up security at a local synagogue after several suspects were arrested for vandalising it.

According to the police, several young people attacked the entrance to the synagogue and set a fire there. When the police arrived they found the door had had its glass shattered and discovered leaflets written, presumably, in Arabic.

The officers additionally found a burned Israeli flag that had probably been torched by the criminals. The police later arrested three suspects, aged 20, 20, and 24, and also found a car they allegedly drove. The police are also looking for a young woman, aged 18-22, in dark clothes with braided hair.

"Currently, the synagogue's security, which was in place before, has been increased", the police said, refraining from specifics out of "strategic concerns".

Meanwhile, police in Berlin declined to tell Sputnik whether they had boosted security at synagogues in the German capital.

"Synagogues are traditionally under protection, [and] we cannot tell the press if this protection has been increased out of security concerns", Sputnik cited the police as saying.

They did mention arresting 10 people during an anti-Israel protest on 9 May after a group of teenagers attacked law enforcement officers near the Hermannplatz subway station. Sixteen officers were injured during the operation.

The Bonn attack took place amid an ongoing escalation in hostilities between Israel and the Palestinians.