A fire at a synagogue in Rotterdam in the early hours of Friday was started deliberately, police have said.

The fire at the A B N Davidsplein in Rotterdam-Blijkdorp started at 3.45 am and burned itself out quickly.

According to regional broadcaster Rijnmond, images circulating on social media show a burning object at the entrance of the synagogue, which then explodes.

An investigation into who carried out the attack is ongoing.

Earlier this week, a synagogue in Liege in Belgium also came under attack in what the Belgian interior minister called “an anti-semitic attack”.

Rotterdam mayor Carola Schouten said the incident had caused “fear in the Jewish population” and that security around synagogues remained a priority.