Dutch give all clear after explosives probe at Israel ambassador residence

Dutch police gave the all-clear on Wednesday, indicating that no explosives were found at the residence of the Israeli ambassador in The Hague. Picture: Nicolas Economou /NurPhoto via AFP

Dutch police gave the all-clear on Wednesday, indicating that no explosives were found at the residence of the Israeli ambassador in The Hague. Picture: Nicolas Economou /NurPhoto via AFP

Published Feb 14, 2024

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Dutch police said Wednesday they had found no explosives after a probe at the residence of the Israeli ambassador in The Hague, which comes amid tightened security in the city.

The area had been cordoned off late Tuesday, with half a dozen ambulances, fire engines, and police vehicles visible, according to an AFP reporter on the scene.

But police later wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that after an investigation by the military bomb squad, "it turns out not to have been an explosive."

"The area has been cleared," said police.

Authorities in The Hague had already imposed emergency security measures around the Israeli embassy in response to an unspecified threat.

The emergency measures allowed police to search people in the area, make additional checks and deny access if necessary.

Last month, the bomb squad in Sweden destroyed a "live" device at Israel's embassy in Stockholm, in what authorities described as a potential "terrorist crime."

Security has been stepped up around Israeli embassies across the world as the country's military presses an offensive in Gaza following the deadly October 7 attacks by Hamas.

The unprecedented attacks by Hamas resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel's military response has killed at least 28,473 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.