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A knife on the mailbox of prominent atheist thinker

Man arrested for threatening atheists, vandalism

Man from central Israel arrested on suspicion of hate crimes against atheists, including spraying synagogue with graffiti and affixing knife to mailbox of prominent atheist thinker Yaakov Malkin.

Police arrested a 39-year-old man Tuesday morning on the suspicion of arson, threats and defacing property—all hate crimes against atheists and non-Orthodox Jews.

 

 

The suspect was linked to several incidents between 2014-2016 in which prominent atheist figures and activists were threatened with harm.

 

Among the incidents the suspect was linked to were spraying graffiti on the walls of a reform Ra'anana synagogue and the homes of central atheist figures, including Professor Yaakov Malkin—head of the International Institute for Humanistic Secular Judaism—whose mailbox was affixed with a knife.

 

A knife on the mailbox of Professor Yaakov Malkin
A knife on the mailbox of Professor Yaakov Malkin

 

A covert investigation was conducted against the suspect, police said, after several incidents with similar characteristics took place in the central region and Jerusalem.

 

Graffiti on the door of  International Institute for Humanistic Secular Judaism (Photo: Ariel Zaviv) (Photo: Ariel Zaviv)
Graffiti on the door of International Institute for Humanistic Secular Judaism (Photo: Ariel Zaviv)

 

The suspect's arrest prevented him from carrying out further offenses, the police added, including physically harming prominent atheist figures.

 

Police investigators raided the suspect's home Tuesday morning, searched it and arrested him. His mother's home was also searched. The suspect will be brought before a judge Wednesday afternoon.

 


פרסום ראשון: 08.23.17, 14:51
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