A Jewish man was attacked by a neo-Nazi in Missoula, Montana, on October 7, in an incident that U.S. police and prosecutors are treating as a serious hate crime. The suspect, 29-year-old Michael Cain, was arrested and charged with offenses described in official statements and court papers as “malicious intimidation” and “harassment in connection with civil or human rights.”
Police were called that day at about 1:35 p.m. to the Poverello Center, a homeless shelter in Missoula, after reports of an assault. Officers found the victim with injuries and blood on his face. The attack took place after Cain confronted the victim about a Star of David he was holding and declared his allegiance to Nazi ideology. The verbal confrontation escalated when the Jewish man asked Cain whether he had Nazi-related tattoos. Cain responded violently, kicking and striking the victim while he was seated on the ground.
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The victim in Montana was holding a Jewish star
(Photo: Roman Yanushevsky / Shutterstock)
Another antisemitic incident occurred on the night of October 7 in Minnesota, when a local synagogue was vandalized with antisemitic and pro-Hamas graffiti to mark the second anniversary of the brutal terrorist attack carried out by Hamas against Israel in 2023. The vandalism included threats and hate slogans directed at Zionists, alongside symbols associated with Hamas, sparking outrage in the Jewish community and prompting investigations by police and the FBI.
On the façade of the synagogue’s daycare wing phrases were sprayed such as “Beware Zionists,” “To hell with Zionism,” and “Mabul Al-Aqsa” (literally, “Al-Aqsa Flood/Deluge”). In addition, 14 inverted red triangles were painted on the building — a symbol linked to Hamas that has appeared in videos from its military wing for identifying Israeli targets. The inverted red triangle is considered an armed anti-Israel symbol used to glorify terror and intimidate Jews.
The wave of antisemitism in the United States is also being felt in Florida, where two members of a criminal gang were arrested on allegations that they planned to bomb the Chabad House in Orlando. The FBI and Florida law-enforcement agencies raided a hotel on Saturday and arrested the couple Jeynina Toledo, 32, and Leonardo Corona Ramos, 42 — both Brazilian nationals — who are accused of activity as part of the violent criminal network “Tren de Aragua.” The two face charges including human trafficking, including trafficking children for sexual exploitation, and conspiracy to commit a terrorist attack against the Chabad in south Orlando.
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Local police are calling the incident a 'hate crime'
(Photo: Chabad of Charlotte County)
The couple, who entered the U.S. illegally, had been surveilling the Chabad in south Orlando in recent weeks, federal agents say. Authorities state they were in the “planning stages” of an attack on the synagogue and its adjacent school, though details of the plot remain unclear. The arrests followed intelligence obtained by Project Veritas, an organization that aims to expose bias and corruption in public and private institutions in order to promote what it calls a more moral and transparent society.
“Tren de Aragua,” a criminal organization originating in Venezuela, has expanded throughout South and Central America and gained a reputation for brutality and deep involvement in human-trafficking and drug networks. The group has been linked to kidnappings, murders and extortion schemes frequently targeting migrants. Law-enforcement officials believe the organization has begun to extend its operations into the United States, using illegal immigration as cover for infiltration.