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.
"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.