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German antisemitism commissioner’s property set on fire, Hamas symbol graffitied nearby

Büttner said that the incident represented a “massive escalation” directed against him, his family, and his home, but he would not be intimidated.

A shed on the property of Brandenburg Commissioner for Combating Antisemitism Andreas Büttner was set on fire in a suspected arson attack on Sunday before dawn, according to the German politician and Brandenburg Police.

The shed was set alight while Büttner’s family was home, but the commissioner and police said in statements that they were not harmed in the incident.

Police said that an “unconstitutional symbol” was painted directly adjacent to the shed, which Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor said on X was the red inverted triangle, a symbol popularized in Hamas propaganda to denote an enemy target.

Police are investigating the incident as suspected arson.

Büttner said that the incident represented a “massive escalation” directed against him, his family, and his home, but he would not be intimidated.

“Anyone who believes that they can achieve something through violence, arson, or threats is mistaken,” Büttner said on X. “Such acts do not lead to me becoming quieter or questioning my commitment — they strengthen me in what I do.”

Brandenburg officials condemn the arson

Brandenburg Minister President Dietmar Woidke and Brandenburg Interior Minister René Wilke condemned the suspected arson in a joint statement, assuring that extremism had no place in the state.

“Violence against persons or things is and remains absolutely unacceptable,” the politicians said on Instagram.

Prosor said that his thoughts were with Büttner and his family, and argued that the incident was demonstrative of the violence of the radical elements of the pro-Palestinian movement.

“For the radical part of the “Palestine solidarity” movement is not only antisemitic, but terrorist. Attacks on those who think differently and attempted murder: That is what the Hamas triangle stands for — in Gaza as in Brandenburg. And the hatred of Israel goes hand in hand with hatred of our democracy,” Prosor said on X. “The rule of law must smash these terrorist organizations—and indeed, before they strike again.”

Incident Details

Type of Incident: Arson Attack
Date of Incident: January 4, 2026
City: Brandenburg
Country: Germany

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About Sentinel

SENTINEL is a European project funded by the European Commission and led by the Security and Crisis Centre (SACC by EJC), the security arm of the European Jewish Congress. It brings together the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), national-level Jewish communities from Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, and Spain, the European Union of Jewish Students, with the support of the Italian Carabinieri and the Police Presidium of the Czech Republic.

The project is designed to strengthen the protection of Jewish places of worship across the European Union through a coordinated set of activities over a three-year period.

SENTINEL will harness AI-enhanced open-source intelligence to monitor and assess current, emerging, and future threats. It will also equip Jewish communities with practical tools, including a mobile security application with a panic button and an interactive map built on real-time incident data.

Training and capacity-building are at the core of the project. These include scenario-based security exercises, crisis management seminars, and both in-person and online training sessions for community security trustees. SENTINEL will also organise EU-wide and local conferences to foster collaboration between Jewish communities, public authorities, and law enforcement agencies.

Complementing these efforts, national and local workshops will promote knowledge-sharing and preparedness, alongside pilot training programmes for law enforcement. A dedicated podcast series will help raise awareness by exploring threat assessments and potential responses.

With its wide-reaching and inclusive approach, SENTINEL will directly benefit to Jewish communities across 23 EU Member States, enhancing resilience, strengthening preparedness, and building long-term cooperation with law enforcement to meet today’s evolving security challenges.