British Jew is shot dead in Belgium

A British orthodox Jew has died after being shot outside his home in Belgium.

Moshe Naeh, 24, a father of three, was shot once in the head as he was unloading his car outside his home in a Jewish neighbourhood of Antwerp. Mr Naeh, who was aide to a rabbi in the city, died in hospital after the shooting early yesterday.

Investigators said it was too early to tell if the killing was part of an upsurge of anti-Semitic violence against one of western Europe's most visible Jewish communities.

The prosecutor's spokeswoman, Dominique Reyniers, said: "We do not exclude any motive, but so far there are no indications that the motive was racist or extremist."

The attack has rocked the Jewish community in the city, which is a stronghold of Belgium's far-Right, anti-immigration Flemish nationalist party, the Vlaams Bloc.

Mr Naeh, a theology student, was found slumped in the street by passers-by who thought he was the victim of a road accident.

A friend, Joseph Brand, said: "This was not a coincidence and this was not about money. He was a guy who just about makes ends meet."

Police rearranged patrols in the city to concentrate on the Jewish quarter. Security has been heightened since June, when a 16-year-old Jewish student nearly died after being stabbed outside his school. Days later, a 43-year-old Jewish man was beaten unconscious.

The shooting has added to unease among the 17,000-strong Jewish community. Louis Davids, chief editor of the Belgian Israeli Weekly, said: "There is a sense of shock. We still don't know the cause of the attack."