European countries on alert after blasts near a Belgian synagogue and outside US Embassy in Oslo

BRUSSELS (AP) - Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said Monday that an explosion near a synagogue in the eastern city of Liege overnight was "a despicable antisemitic act" and that federal prosecutors were investigating, as several countries in Europe tighten security due to the war in the Middle East.

Liege police said that the blast outside the synagogue happened in the early hours of Monday morning. No one was injured but the windows of a building in front of the synagogue were blown out.

The street remained blocked off while investigators combed the area, a statement said.

"The explosion in front of the Liege synagogue was a despicable antisemitic act that directly targeted the Jewish community of Belgium," Quintin said in a post on X. "Security around similar sites will continue to be strengthened." He made no link between the blast and the Iran war.

Belgium, France and Germany are among a number of European countries that have said they intend to beef up security in response to the war, and have also insisted that they are playing no active role in the conflict alongside the United States and Israel.

Belgium's transport minister has demanded tighter security around the rail network.

The Belgian federal prosecutor's office said on Monday that it was taking charge of the investigation "given the possible indications of a terrorist offense." No details about the explosion or who might be responsible were given.

Meanwhile, police in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, said they were analyzing surveillance videos in the hunt for the perpetrator of an explosion early Sunday outside the U.S. Embassy.

Police released an image captured from a surveillance video showing a person wearing dark clothes and a backpack, with their face covered. The suspect has not been identified, the police said.

Oslo police received reports of a "loud bang" or explosion outside the U.S. Embassy around 1 a.m. on Sunday. No injuries were reported but the embassy entrance was damaged, authorities said.

"We are early in the investigation, but we are working based on multiple hypotheses," Frode Larsen, leader of the Oslo police joint unit for investigation and intelligence, said in a statement on Sunday. "Given the current security situation, it is natural to consider whether this was a targeted attack on the American Embassy. However, we have not committed to any single hypothesis."

On Monday, the police said their investigation indicated an improvised explosive device had been placed near the entrance area to the embassy.

It also said it was making inquiries about a video posted on Google Maps around the time of the explosion. Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported earlier that the video, which was pinned to the embassy's location on the mapping app, showed Iran's former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.