IDF Veteran Targeted in Antisemitic Arson and Graffiti Attack in St. Louis Suburb
Police in Clayton, Missouri, are investigating a suspected hate crime after three vehicles were set ablaze and antisemitic graffiti was spray-painted on a residential street early Tuesday. Authorities responded to a call at 3 a.m. and found the burned cars and graffiti reading “Death to the IDF.” The message also included a threat directed at a specific individual, which local media blurred in coverage.
According to civil rights attorney Leo Terrell, the attack targeted an American citizen who had served in the Israel Defense Forces and recently returned home. “Soon after, he and his family were targeted,” Terrell posted on X. He added, “I am outraged. Antisemitic violence has no place in America, not in St. Louis and not anywhere. We will pursue every avenue to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
The FBI and St. Louis Regional Bomb and Arson Unit are assisting with the investigation. No injuries have been reported, and police are seeking suspects.
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“When you hear somebody say ‘globalize the intifada,’ this is what it looks like,” said Jordan Kadosh of the Anti-Defamation League. “It looks like burned-out cars on suburban streets on America. This is not confined. When somebody says they want to take this fight to Jews around the world, they mean everywhere.”
Clayton Mayor Bridget McAndrew condemned the incident as “an offensive and violent act of arson,” saying, “We will not tolerate harassment, intimidation, or violence based on someone’s nationality, race, religion, or ideology.”
“This is more than vandalism; it is a hateful act of intimidation,” said Danny Cohn, CEO of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. “What started as rhetoric is increasingly escalating into threats and violence against our Jewish community.”
