Authorities in Clayton, Missouri, are looking into a number of distressing events that happened early on Tuesday morning. These include antisemitic graffiti and several car fires. Authorities think that a certain resident was targeted in these events, which are being looked into as a hate crime.
The occurrences happened about 3:00 AM local time on Westmoreland Avenue in the 7500 block. When cops got to the site, they found a number of cars that had been badly damaged and torched. The Clayton Police Department said that they think the fire was started on purpose. There were no injuries linked to the fires.
There were also anti-Israel graffiti and unexplained burning in the region. KMOV says that words written on the road included “Death to the IDF,” which is short for “Death to the Israel Defense Forces,” as well as a separate threat against an unknown person.
The Clayton Police Department put out a news release saying that they are still looking into a “suspicious fire and hate crime.” The statement said, “We think the victim in this case, who lived in Clayton, was specifically targeted.” There are no signs that the community is still in danger.
The FBI and the St. Louis Regional Bomb and Arson Unit have been asked to help in the investigation because the events were so serious. In a post on X (previously Twitter), Harmeet Dhillon, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, called the events “car bombings.” She stressed that her office plans to “hold the perpetrators accountable for these violent acts.”
The group StopAntisemitism also commented on X, saying they were outraged by what they called a “vile arson attack” on the family of a lone IDF soldier.The group said that individuals who were guilty should be “quickly identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”