Arson attack at Skopje synagogue linked to so-called Islamic State, officials say

Published on 01/05/2026 - 18:03 GMT+2

An arson onslaught past period connected a synagogue successful North Macedonia's superior has been linked to the alleged Islamic State (IS) group, the country's quality work said connected Friday.

Nobody was injured successful the 12 April attack, which is the Orthodox Easter, but an entranceway of the gathering successful Skopje was near scorched aft it was acceptable connected fire.

The Agency for National Security said they had raided respective properties and arrested 7 radical believed to beryllium a "part of a extremist radical ideologically linked to the planetary web of the Islamic State."

Police said pursuing the arrests connected Thursday, they had charged a 21-year-old and a 38-year-old with coercion related offences.

"The individuals person been held for further proceedings," constabulary spokesperson Goce Andreevski said successful a video statement.

Surveillance footage shared by the Israeli embassy, purportedly of the incident, shows 2 men successful motorcycle helmets jumping a obstruction earlier pouring substance extracurricular of the gathering and mounting the beforehand courtyard ablaze.

In a connection aft the fire, the section Jewish assemblage said the gathering had lone suffered insignificant damage.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar thanked North Macedonia's authorities for the arrests.

"Their swift and determined enactment to clasp the perpetrators accountable underscores North Macedonia's committedness to safeguarding the Jewish community," Sa'ar wrote connected X.

IS has a profoundly hostile absorption toward Jews and portion the radical has seldom straight confronted Jewish communities successful the Middle East, its ideology frames Judaism arsenic the superior force of Islam.

The radical has often called for attacks connected Jews and Jewish sites worldwide.