New Delhi, March 10 -- 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 sa...