BRUSSELS - Unknown assailants hurled a Molotov cocktail on Saturday at a synagogue in the Belgian port city of Antwerp, which was rocked by immigrant riots earlier this week, but no one was injured, Belgian media reported.

They said the incident occurred in the early hours on Saturday in the centre of Antwerp but caused little damage and firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control.

Police and fire services were not immediately available to confirm the attack.

Tensions have been running high in the city since a 27-year-old Moroccan immigrant was shot dead on Tuesday, triggering two days of rioting by members of the city´s Arab community. A 66-year-old Belgian man has been charged with his murder.

On Friday, Belgian authorities charged an Arab activist leader with conspiracy to cause disorder, criminal damage and wounding a police officer in the riots.

About 30,000 people of Arab origin live in Antwerp, a city of 450,000 where the far-right opposition Vlaams Blok party took 33 percent of the vote in the last local elections.

Antwerp is also home to a long-established orthodox Jewish community of about 20,000, many of them active in the international diamond trade, for which the city is a major hub. (© Copyright 2002 Ha´aretz 11/30/02)