Suspect nabbed for swastikas in Jerusalem synagogue

An Israeli man was arrested Wednesday hours after he painted swastikas on walls throughout the central Jerusalem neighborhood of Nahlaot, including inside a synagogue, police said.

“A series of actions taken by police investigators immediately after the discovery of the daubed swastikas led to the identification and arrest of the suspect,” police said in a statement.

The man, 38, a resident of the city, was taken in for questioning, during which it emerged that he had also sprayed similar graffiti in another neighborhood in the north of the capital, according to police.

Earlier in the day officers were called when a worshiper at the Lelov synagogue on Kfar Nahum Street in the neighborhood alerted police to four swastikas painted on the walls.

Swastikas painted on the walls of apartment buildings in the central Jerusalem neighborhood of Nahlaot, June 21, 2017. (Courtesy Jerusalem Police)

After they arrived forensic investigators discovered that three holy books had also apparently been set on fire.

In a search of the area, officers learned that two additional swastikas had been painted on walls inside a nearby residential building. A preliminary forensic check concluded they were painted by the same perpetrator.

Police said they had informed welfare services that the suspect was in their custody and that he will be sent for a psychological assessment.

Swastikas painted on the walls of a synagogue in the central Jerusalem neighborhood of Nahlaot, June 21, 2017. (Courtesy Jerusalem Police)