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Local Authorities in Netherlands to Decide on Church Safety Measures

© AP Photo / Peter DejongA police vehicle guards the Coptic church, rear, in Amsterdam, Netherlands (File)
A police vehicle guards the Coptic church, rear, in Amsterdam, Netherlands (File) - Sputnik International
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Security measures for places of worships in the Netherlands are up to the local authorities to decide, according to a spokesman for the Ministry of Security and Justice, Lodewijk Hekking.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Local authorities in the Netherlands are to decide on whether security measures should be revised or strengthened for the places of religious worship amid the recent attack on a church in the French region of Normandy, a spokesman for the Ministry of Security and Justice, Lodewijk Hekking, told Sputnik on Wednesday.

French riot police guards the street to access the church where an hostage taking left a priest dead in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Normandy, France, Tuesday, July 26, 2016 - Sputnik International
Austria in Touch With Religious Communities on Security After Normandy Attack
On Tuesday, two armed men took five people hostage at a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Normandy. The attackers were later killed, while at least one hostage was murdered and three people were wounded. Following the attack, the UK authorities urged churches to tighten security and warned about the possibility of terror attacks targeted at Christians and other faith groups in the West and beyond.

"There is no national measure [to increase the security measures for places of worships]. Question of churches is mainly the responsibility of local municipalities. We can advise on this, but safety measures like this – also including mosques and temples – are up to the local authorities to decide," Hekking said, in response to a question on whether the Netherlands may follow the United Kingdom's lead in tightening security at churches.

Responsibility for the tragedy in Normandy, as well as for the preceding series of deadly attacks in France and Germany was claimed by the Islamic State, a terrorist organization outlawed in many countries across the globe, including Russia.

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