Israeli soccer fans suffer 'anti-Semitic attacks' in violent Amsterdam incident: Officials
LONDON -- At least five people have been hospitalized and 62 others were detained after a night of violence targeting Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam on Thursday, authorities said.
The violence occurred after a UEFA Europa League match between the Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club and the Dutch Ajax Football Club in Amsterdam.
The Israeli National Security Headquarters told Israeli citizens staying in Amsterdam to "avoid movements in the street and shut oneself in hotel rooms."
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said Friday the situation is now calm and that he was "horrified by the antisemitic attacks on Israeli citizens." Schoof, who on an official trip to Budapest related to the European Council, said he was returning early to the Netherlands.
"Let's say that I am ashamed that this happened in the Netherlands and it is a terrible antisemitic attack and we will not tolerate," Schoof said in a statement. "And we will prosecute the perpetrators and I am deeply ashamed that it could happen in the Netherlands in 2024."
All five individuals who were hospitalized have been released, according to Amsterdam officials.
"I understand very well that this brings back memories of pogroms," Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said, referring to organized attacks on Jews in Eastern Europe in the early 20th century.
The Amsterdam public prosecutor's office said in a statement on Saturday that four people are currently in custody and expected in court next week, suspected of having committed "open violence" Thursday.
Three of those people were arrested before or during the match, the prosecutor's office said. A fourth person was arrested Friday evening in relation to a "special investigation" looking at witness testimony and images from that night.
The statement says more arrests are expected and that the team is investigating "whether there was an organized connection" to the violence.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had been in touch with Schoof and called for increased security for Jewish communities in the Netherlands.
"Tomorrow, 86 years ago, was Kristallnacht, when Jews on European soil were attacked for being Jews," Netanyahu said in a statement. "This has now recurred. This was marked yesterday in the streets of Amsterdam. This is what happened. There is only one difference: The State of the Jews has arisen. We need to deal with it."
According to information provided to Dutch law enforcement, an evaluation of online activity in the days leading up to the Maccabi-Ajax match, which was held at the Johan Cruyff Arena, suggests that the outbreak of violence in Amsterdam was not spontaneous.
On Wednesday, DutchNews reported that Halsema banned a pro-Palestine demonstration set to take place at the Johan Cruyff Arena, along with several other "high-risk" locations throughout Amsterdam. A number of pro-Palestine groups appeared to have been coordinating and operating in sync, disseminating identical messaging, noting the demonstration ban and provided the information to their followers. Additionally, following the demonstration ban, those groups demonstrated their intent to continue with their events through posts providing alternative locations. The messaging shows they were planning or expecting violence and made it clear that people under the age of 18 should stay away.
Analysts found that the messaging included expressions of anti-Israeli sentiment and said pro-Palestinian supporters were in danger from attack by "IOF [IDF] Israeli Maccabi fans."
The online posts also included comments claiming Israeli soldiers were visiting in large numbers and were expected to attack local residents and kill children, among others.
All of the information was available prior to the attacks; it is not known if European law enforcement was aware of it or took it seriously.
Tensions were rising in the lead-up to the game, with Amsterdam police on Wednesday night reporting a group of people pulled a Palestinian flag off the face of a building in the center of the city, and that police "prevented a confrontation" between a group of visitors and taxi drivers.
Ajax Football Club said in a statement: "After a sporting football match with a good atmosphere in our stadium -- for which we thank all parties involved for the good cooperation -- we were horrified to learn what happened in the centre of Amsterdam last night. We strongly condemn this violence."
Ajax dominated in the on-field contest, winning 5-0.
Amsterdam police announced Wednesday evening that a "number of safety measures" had been taken before the match to ensure "that everything proceeds safely and orderly," in a post on X. There were no known threats made before the match, Halsema said.
Officials in Amsterdam said there will now be extra police on the move in the coming days and extra attention "for the extra security of Jewish institutions and objects."
Amsterdam authorities said they would announce additional security measures to be taken Friday and in the coming days.
ABC News' Dragana Jovanovic, Will Gretsky, Ellie Kaufman, Victoria Beaule and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
