Synagogue firebombings in New Jersey

Lawyer blames Xbox for New Jersey synagogue attacks

‘This is someone who may [have been] . . . taken over by these games that young people play now – lots of violence, lots of meanness,’ says defense attorney

By Nathan Burstein 1 February 2012, 9:09 pm

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It’s a 21st century Twinkie defense.

A lawyer for the man accused of firebombing three synagogues in New Jersey last month is blaming Xbox video games for his client’s violent actions.

“This is someone who may [have been] . . . taken over by these games that young people play now – lots of violence, lots of meanness,” said defense attorney Robert Kalisch, who appeared in court yesterday seeking a bail reduction for his client.

Nineteen-year-old Anthony Graziano has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree attempted murder, aggravated arson and bias intimidation following the attacks, which targeted three synagogues last month. The crime spree, which injured a rabbi, left Bergen County’s Jewish residents “on edge for weeks” before Graziano’s Jan. 23 arrest, according to MSNBC.

Prosecutors are portraying the crimes as expressions of Graziano’s “hatred for people of the Jewish faith,” while the defense will paint him as a victim of mental illness. Graziano’s lawyer told the court that his client had called an ambulance in November because he was “feeling crazy or something.”