COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Two men, aged 27 and 38, were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of “gross vandalism” of gravestones in the Jewish section of a churchyard in northwestern Denmark.
Danish broadcaster DR, citing information from a detention hearing that was briefly open before continuing behind closed doors, reported that the 38-year-old man was a member of a neo-Nazi group.
The men are suspected of scrawling in green paint on 84 gravestones and knocking over several of them in Randers, some 177 kilometers (110 miles) northwest of Copenhagen.
Police spokesman Klaus Arboe Rasmussen said their motive was to target “a particular group of the population based on their religion.”
Tombstones vandalized at the Jewish cemetery in Randers, Denmark, November 10, 2019. (Bo Amstrup/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
He added that the men, who were not identified in line with Danish practice, also are suspected of throwing black and green paint on a bank building in Randers.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
Arboe Rasmussen said both incidents happened in the night between Friday and Saturday. Police want the men held in custody while they investigate the case.
It's not (only) about you.
Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.
Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this