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FRI SEP 21 2001 03:09 P.M.
G.M.T.
Dutch police say mosque fire could be linked to US attacks THE HAGUE, Sept 21 (AFP) - Dutch police said an early morning fire Friday at a mosque in the southern town of Venlo could be linked to reprisals following last week's attacks in the United States. Lighted papers were pushed under the door of the mosque, but the fire was quickly detected and contained. Police said no one has claimed responsibility, but they have not ruled out the theory that the attack was in purported revenge for the terrorist assault on the United States. There has been a sharp increase in attacks against Muslims in the Netherlands in recent days. An Islamic primary school at Nimegue in the south was partly destroyed in a firebomb attack on Sunday while a mosque in the eastern town of Zwolle was also set on fire. Several mosques have received threats since the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington. Around 750,000 Muslims live in the Netherlands, making up 4.7 percent of the total population.
Copyright (c) 2001, AFP |
