Dutch tram set on fire in new Amsterdam unrest

Dozens of people armed with sticks and firecrackers set a tram on fire in Amsterdam on Monday, police said.

It was not clear whether the unrest was related to attacks on Israeli football fans last week.

Also on Monday, police made several additional arrests related to the attacks.

It comes a day after riot police broke up a pro-Palestinian protest on Dam Square.

What do we know about the renewed unrest in Amsterdam ?

The tram caught fire at the '40-'45 Square in western Amsterdam, according to a police spokesman. The windows of the tram were also shattered.

The spokesman said that no one was injured in the incident, as the tram had been empty.

Police said the fire was quickly extinguished and riot officers cleared the square, making several arrests.

Footage on local broadcaster AT5 showed people in the square throwing fireworks, poles and wooden pallets.

Police told people to stay away from the square, adding that riot squads would remain there.

Five new arrests over clashes with Israeli fans

Dutch police said that they had arrested five more people over suspected involvement in attacks on Israeli football supporters who had come to see a match between visiting Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax Amsterdam last week.

The suspects are men aged 18 to 37 and living in the Netherlands.

Police had previously announced 63 arrests in connection with the clashes, but only four people remained in custody and appeared before a Dutch judge on Monday, public prosecutors said.

Earlier on Monday, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof condemned the incidents as "antisemitic attacks."

The Dutch premier stressed that "there is nothing that can justify" the attacks on the Israeli football fans.

How did the Amsterdam clashes unfold?

Amsterdam police had said tensions started building ahead of the match, when Maccabi fans burned a Palestinian flag in the city center and vandalized a taxi.

Social media videos, some of which have been verified, showed Israeli fans engaging in other acts of provocation, chanting "Death to the Arabs" and "Let the IDF win," referring to the Israeli military. Another viral video showed Maccabi supporters attacking locals around Amsterdam's central train station, according to DW's German fact-checking team.

Footage also showed some Israeli fans being chased and beaten in Amsterdam. 

Politicians in the right-wing Dutch government, which is led by Geert Wilders' far-right PVV party, have blamed people with immigrant backgrounds for attacking the Israeli fans.

The case drew attention in Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying "antisemitic rioters" had attacked the Israeli fans. 

On Friday, Amsterdam imposed a three-day ban on pro-Palestinian protests after the clashes.

sdi/lo (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)