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Bomb Threat Forces Connecticut Synagogue to Cancel Services

A synagogue in Hamden was the target of a bomb threat, Mayor Lauren Garrett said on Facebook. StopAntisemitism shared the news to Twitter.

The Congregation Mishkan Israel Synagogue received the bomb threat Thursday, according to Garrett, prompting an investigation by Hamden police. 

At this time, it is unknown where the bomb threat against Congregation Mishkan Israel Synagogue originated from. 

Garrett continued saying that any threat to the safety of the Hamden community is "unacceptable" and "is taken seriously."

Due to the threat, activities at the synagogue and their preschool were canceled for Thursday. 

The Hamden Police Department is investigating the bomb threat. 

Synagogue Arson Linked to Armenian Militant Faction with PLO Connections

A militant Armenian group that was armed and trained by the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) during the 1980s has allegedly claimed responsibility for an arson attack on the sole synagogue in the country’s capital, Yerevan, according to Azeri media reports.

Unidentified vandals splashed red paint and threw a Molotov cocktail at the Mordechay Navi Jewish Religious Center in Yerevan, Armenia on Tuesday.

Shortly after the attack, a virulently antisemitic statement justifying it was widely circulated on Armenian social media. The statement slammed Israel and the world Jewish community for allegedly supporting Turkey, responsible for the slaughter of up to 1.5 million Armenian during the genocide of 1915-16, and Azerbaijan, which has fought a bitter struggle with its neighbor over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan seized complete control of the territory last month, causing more than 120,000 Armenians to flee their homes. In the interim, there has been growing disquiet among Armenians over Azerbaijan’s military relations with the State of Israel, with several articles in the local media highlighting Israel’s supply of drones used in the Azeri military offensives of 2020 and this year.

Several media outlets in Azerbaijan claimed that the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) — a Marxist-Leninist group designated as a terrorist organization by the US State Department in 1989 — had carried out the arson and was responsible for the statement.

“Jews are sworn enemies of Armenia and its people,” the alleged statement from ASALA read. “This is a warning: our successful operation on October 3 in Yerevan is only the beginning. Every rabbi will be on our radar,”  it declared.

The text also carried the threat of “a war against Israeli Jews in Europe, America, Canada, Georgia. No Israeli Jew will feel safe coming to these countries.”

ASALA is arguably the best known of the Armenian armed groups formed during the last century. Founded in the 1970s by an Iraqi-born Armenian, Hagop Hagopian — whose real name was Harutiun Takoshian — the group was responsible for a number of terrorist outrages, including a 1983 attack on the Turkish Airlines counter at Orly Airport near Paris. The group was active until the 1990s but has been less visible since.

During the 1980s, ASALA terrorists trained with Palestinian factions in Lebanon, developing ties with the radical Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a group within the PLO. A RAND Corporation analysis published in 1984 observed that “ASALA has long enjoyed a close working relationship with the PLO,” adding that “over time, ASALA drifted away from the comparatively moderate Fatah to more radical groups like the PFLP.”

Hagopian himself fled Lebanon in the wake of the Israeli invasion of 1982, setting up bases in the Syrian capital, Damascus, as well Athens in Greece. In 1988, Hagopian was assassinated outside his home in Athens as he waited for a taxi to take him to the airport for a flight to Belgrade.

However, Israeli media outlets identified a different group  — Young Fighters for the Freedom of Armenia (YFFA) — as responsible for the synagogue arson. The Israeli broadcaster Kan quoted from a statement allegedly released by the YFFA which took responsibility for the attack and asserted that it was in “retaliation for Israel and world Jewry’s support of Azerbaijan.”

“Jews are the enemies of the Armenian people and the Jewish state sells weapons to the Aliyev regime,” the YFFA statement continued, referring to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev.

Virginia City Panning Meeting Interrupted by Antisemitic Callers

Monday’s Charlottesville City Council meeting was marred by explicit racism and antisemitism when white supremacists joined public comment via Zoom.

“You can’t cut me off. It’s called the First Amendment,” said the first speaker of the night after using a racial slur.

“Actually, it is protected by the First Amendment, unfortunately,” Mayor Lloyd Snook said.

For more than a minute, the speaker used racist slurs and parroted an antisemitic conspiracy theory, drawing anger from the members of the public attending the meeting who demanded council cut the speaker off.

Snook then looked to city attorney Jacob Stroman.

“Mr. City Attorney, are we allowed to cut this off?” Snook asked.

“Yes sir,” Stroman answered.

The speaker was then muted, but not before exclaiming, “Heil Hitler. White power.”

Explaining why the council was within its rights to cut off the speaker, Stroman said to council that “the gross insult” to community members was unacceptable, “even under the broadest interpretation of the First Amendment.”

The hours following were without incident until the final minutes of the meeting, when multiple people used Zoom to repeat antisemitic and racist conspiracies and slurs.

Stroman attempted to give one of the speakers a chance to continue his comment if he could “avoid the references to hate speech and incitement.”

The speaker could not. He was then cut off.

Another speaker followed.

“This is going to be the same thing,” Council Member Brian Pinkston said after the speaker’s long-winded introduction to his remarks.

Pinkston was right.

The next couple of speakers were no different, and Snook ultimately determined enough was enough.

“We’ve had five in a row like that. I think it’s time to declare the meeting over,” he said. No one on council objected.

It is certainly not the first time people have used Zoom to broadcast obscenities and conspiracies into Charlottesville City Council meetings.

Council Member Michael Payne told The Daily Progress that during the height of the pandemic, some people would use the written comments section on Zoom to make similar statements.

“I’ve never seen a flood of virtual verbal comments like that, though,” Payne said, referencing Monday’s calls.

Pinkston told The Daily Progress he had never seen “anything of that scale or intensity” during a council meeting.

Antisemitic Propaganda Littered Across Massachusetts School Grounds

Holliston Police are investigating after some cut out pieces of paper illustrating antisemitic material were found in the fields between Placentino Elementary School and Adams Middle School. In a statement the Town of Holliston says they condemn the materials found and call hate speech of any kind deeply hurtful and offensive. Officials say they will work with stakeholders to discuss next steps and will share any additional relevant information. Meanwhile they say if you have information call Holliston Police.

Nazi Symbol Found in New York High School

A second swastika has been found at Carmel High School.

The school board says it was found Tuesday, carved into a table leg at the high school.

Last month, a swastika and the words "Adolf Hitler" were found on the tennis courts.

The incidents come after a series of racist TikToks in February created by three high school students.

The school board says it will do everything in its power to make sure these hateful symbols are addressed, and students are safe.

Law Enforcement Probing Swastika Found in Vermont Town

A swastika drawn with what appeared to be a carrot on a Putney sidewalk is under investigation by the Windham County Sheriff's Office.

During the Sept. 28 meeting of the Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee, the meeting minutes note that committee member Nate Snell, who is also a member of the Select Board, spotted the graffiti on Sept. 27.

Sheriff Mark Anderson said his office was notified of the graffiti on Kimball Hill on Monday.

"We recognize the reason for upset and we don't condone hate," said Sheriff Mark Anderson. "But we also don't have the tools to solve this."

Swift Everdy, a co-chair of the Putney's Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee said the committee discussed the graffiti at its regular meeting the next day.

Everdy said it might seem childish that someone drew a swastika with a carrot, but normalising any such expression is dangerous and it shows a pattern of hateful visible acts locally.

"It's a teachable moment of recognizing that this happens here in Putney," said Everdy. "It happens every day in Vermont. This is not to normalize it, but clearly something needs to change. We are in a world now where this has always has been happening, but maybe we're finally ready to confront it in a more direct way."

The big question is, she said, how do towns like Putney respond to hateful incidents.

"The best way is to be transparent about what's happening and doing our best to help heal harm by creating community spaces for conversations and systems to address future actions."

Southern California City Council Virtual Meeting Interrupted by Antisemitic Callers

Several people who called into the most-recent Hermosa Beach City Council meeting during the public comments section made racist and antisemitic remarks — which the town’s elected officials denounced.

The city will now look into ways to prevent hate speech during public meetings, according to staffers.

It was unclear why the callers chose this meeting to deliver hateful remarks or if they were coordinated, but such instances have become a concerning trend nationwide in recent years, experts say.

The first caller during last week’s meeting said he was part of an organization that wanted to “donate 6 million bars of soap to the homeless in the greater Los Angeles area,” and in a “kosher manner.”

He continued by saying the soap is made through science “adopted from Germany.”

The caller went on to describe using as a Jewish person to make soap — before Mayor Raymond Jackson interrupted him and asked for him to be cut off.

The next caller identified himself as “George Lincoln Rockwell,” who in the late 1950s was the founder of the American Nazi Party and to this day is a white supremacist influencer and inspiration.

A few more callers, including one who used a racial slur, attempted to utter “filth,” as Jackson described it later in the meeting. The City Council then went to a break.

“We’ve got a lot of keyboard cowboys and a lot of cowards who like to hide behind the keyboard,” Jackson said. “You’re certainly welcome to stand in front of us and say what you have to say, but it’s certainly easy to hide behind the keyboard and some fake name to spew your filth.”

There are several ways to address the council during public meetings including written comments, e-comments and in-person comments.

The Hermosa council and staffers, meanwhile, decried the remarks that occurred during the Tuesday, Sept. 26, council meeting, while also affirming the First Amendment rights of the speakers.

Even though the comments were “heinous (and) vile,” City Attorney Patrick Donegan said, the “First Amendment does exist.”

Donegan said he wanted to be sure that “there’s no valid public comments out there still waiting to be heard.”

The city, though, needed to look into its options, Councilmember Mike Detoy said, “either get rid of a Zoom option for public participation or look at software to help screen a little bit better.”

Councilmember Rob Saemann agreed with Detoy — but was not in favor of eliminating a Zoom option for public comments.

“In light of this evening’s debauchery,” Saemann said, “I am fully in favor of some sort of a filtering system or 10 second delay.”

Councilmember Justin Massey also said the city should evaluate what can and should be done to prevent hate speech at public meetings.

The city could have a “pretty clear basis” in limiting that kind of speech,” Massey said.

“I don’t think that violates anybody’s right,” he said, “because I don’t think we’re obligated as part of our business meetings to give anybody a soapbox to say whatever they want unrelated to city business, including repugnant stuff like that.”

Donegan and City Manager Suja Lowenthal said they could return to a future City Council meeting after researching the city’s options.

“We can vet what took place,” Lowenthal said, “what other cities have done and what are options are and we can report back.”.

The city as a whole, meanwhile, condemned the remarks in a Friday press release.

“Hermosa Beach condemns racism, antisemitism and bigotry in all forms,” the city said. “Hate will never have a home here.

“The anonymity of the speakers is evidence of their cowardice.”

The city also touted the diversity of its employees and the community.

“Our city staff is comprised of team members from diverse backgrounds,” the statement said. “We pride ourselves on unity through diversity, and we cherish the welcoming community we serve.”

Donegan, for his part, said Hermosa must balance the First Amendment with ensuring the government’s public business can get done.

“Like many Cities, the City of Hermosa Beach has unfortunately received racist comments and correspondence in the past,” Donegan wrote in a Friday email. “We take these incidents seriously, document them and work to address them promptly. Our commitment remains firm in creating an inclusive and discrimination-free community.

“Coordinated attacks meant solely to disrupt the meeting via antisemitic, racist or other bigoted vitriol will not be tolerated,” he added. “Consistent with the city’s responsibility to ensure all can express their viewpoints to their city government on germane matters, speakers who comment in a way meant to disrupt the meeting and on matters not in the city’s purview will be cut off.”

Violent Threats Made Against North Carolina Synagogue and School

Durham officers responded to a bomb threat at a synagogue on Tuesday.

Officers responded to a reported bomb threat at the Judea Reform Congregation on West Cornwallis Road just after noon. It was later determined the threat was a hoax. StopAntisemitism shared the news with their followers on Twitter.

Police said the Judea Reform Congregation had received an email that said there were multiple bombs that had been placed throughout the complex, which includes a school and community center.

A statement from CEO of Jewish for Good Jill Madsen said the campus will remain closed for the rest of the day.

"Earlier today, our campus received a security threat," said Madsen. "I am proud of our staff for working rapidly to evacuate both the Levin JCC and The Lerner School quickly and safely, in accordance with our prescribed security procedures."

"This threat has been proven to be a hoax, and as of now, the Durham police have issued an “all-clear” for all buildings on our campus."

"With the rise of antisemitism, and hatred in the country altogether, there is a sense that what happens to one of us happens to all of us, and we're ready," said senior rabbi Matthew Soffer. "We've been playing out what do we do if there's threats that come in, and this is a more and more common type of threat to come in."

Central Pennsylvania Targeted with Antisemitic Goyim Defense League Flyers (GDL)

Antisemitic messages distributed to State College homes, including one owned by a Jewish man running for a spot on Borough Council, drew a rebuke Monday from the political veteran and other community members.

The Centre Daily Times viewed at least four messages that espoused hatred for Jews, including one that called a sacred Jewish text “satanic.” Each were placed inside zip-close bags that contained rice.

State College Borough Council candidate and former council president Evan Myers said the manner in which the messages were delivered — it appeared as if someone threw the bags out of a window as they drove by — led him to believe it was a “well-thought-out distribution.”

“I certainly won’t be intimidated by this. It certainly is extremely troublesome; these were vile messages. I can only believe they were meant to intimidate people. In some ways, it’s not unexpected,” Myers said. “... There’s no mistake that it’s part of a larger pattern of hate, racism and homophobia and Islamophobia and misogyny and anti- immigration thoughts.”

Myers said he and some of his neighbors received the messages Sunday. They were reported to the borough’s police department. The CDT left messages with two officers that weren’t returned as of Monday afternoon. It’s unclear how many people received the bags.

“It’s dangerous. At some point, unfortunately, words sometimes translate into action and unless people do point it out, call it out, say ‘It’s wrong,’ sometimes some people think it’s OK,” Myers said. “And it’s definitely not OK.”

The antisemitic material was made public Sunday in a Facebook post by State College Area School District board member Peter Buck. “To call them disgusting is an understatement,” Buck wrote. “The sickness of hatred mus(t) be fought every day by all of us.”

The Jewish advocacy group StopAntisemitism has been tracking the activities of those responsible - the Goyim Defense League’ or ‘GDL’ for nearly five years and state they vilify Jews with their premeditated hate campaigns.

Antisemitic 'Goyim Defense League' (GDL) Flyers Found in Northern California

Antisemitic fliers targeting politicians and executives of an American media company were widely distributed across Sonoma Valley Sunday morning as part of a coordinated national hate campaign that has plagued cities across the country.

The advocacy organization fighting antisemitism - StopAntisemitism - has attributed the antisemitic flyers to the Goyim Defense League (GDL). The league travels the country distributing these hateful flyers targeting Jewish communities.

“I was deeply sad, but not surprised. We've been seeing these types of antisemitic efforts across the region and actually across the country,” said Jan Chernoff, president of Congregation Shir Shalom in Sonoma.

Similar fliers were reported in Petaluma last year, and in recent weeks, meetings of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and the Santa Rosa City Schools District have been interrupted by hate speech.

Chernoff said the Sonoma congregation has received support from law enforcement, the city and the greater community in the wake of the hateful rhetoric.

“The Sonoma Police Department is dedicated to the safety of all communities within Sonoma, including, and specifically in this case, the Jewish community,” Sonoma Police Chief Brandon Cutting told the Index-Tribune.

Sonoma police gathered the fliers in bulk from across the Valley on Sunday morning, which will be used for further investigation into this incident, Cutting said.

Despite the antisemitic messaging, the fliers do not appear to rise to the level of a hate crime, according to Cutting. Still, law enforcement continues to work with the Anti-Defamation League to investigate the incidents and the legality of the hateful material.

“There are many laws that directly address the criminality of hate crimes. And while the Jewish community does meet the definition based on nationality and religion, these fliers themselves do not have a threat of violence toward any person or group,” Cutting said. “(The group responsible for the fliers) obviously have sought legal counsel in how they write these, and they are walking a very fine line. I would say this was as close to the line as you could get.”

Former Sonoma Assemblymember Marc Levine, who is Jewish and now serves as the league’s regional director, said the messaging on the fliers is nothing new.

“This is a small band of white supremacists who drop fliers and communities across the state and even across the country,” Levine said. “They’re trying to spread hate in communities, both against people of the Jewish faith, LGBTQ members and racial minorities.”

Chernoff described the efforts of the hate group responsible for the fliers as “cowardly,” noting that Congregation Shir Shalom has been preparing for such an incident amid an international uptick in antisemitic hate crimes in recent years. The congregation received a $200,000 grant earlier this year to provide additional security measures for its members. The fliers, while unsettling, did not target members of the local Jewish faith.

“Do I think this kind of thing is a threat? I really don't,” Chernoff said. “This kind of activity is more based on intimidation.”

Still, residents across Sonoma were shocked to find the disturbing fliers in their driveways and across neighborhoods, from the Springs to the east side.

“It's kind of like a virus that infected our neighborhood and I'm just trying to shake it off,” said Marian Pefley, a resident of Fetters Hot Springs who received a flier Sunday morning. “It's so invasive to find that on my property.”

That “virus” has spread faster in recent years through the rise of social media which has allowed fringe ideologies to enter the public sphere.

“Conspiracy theories have been out there for a long time. And antisemitism is often rooted into conspiracy theories,” Levine said. “These have been further amplified by technology and social media to spread them in a way that they hadn't been able to spread in the past.”

Moving forward, however, Chernoff hopes for a unified response to dispel the hateful messages that seek to divide the Sonoma Valley community.

“This kind of virulent, hateful speech is really unfortunately gaining traction. It's important for everybody, not just the Jewish community, to push back,” Chernoff said. “The most important thing we can do is continue to act proudly in the name of the Jewish community and keep our congregation secure.”

South Florida Police Detain Individual Making Threats at Local Synagogue

A man is behind bars for allegedly making antisemitic threats to people walking to their Sunny Isles Beach temple during the Jewish holiday over the weekend.

Sunny Isles Beach Police said 47-year-old Yudel Antonio Herrero was arrested in the case. He’s being charged with disturbing a religious assembly. StopAntisemitism shared the incident and identity of the perpetrator to Twitter.

The incident happened Saturday near Chabad Lubavitch of Sunny Isles Beach and the arrest was made Sunday.

According to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, Herrero used antisemitic speech towards those entering the synagogue and disrupted the services by standing outside and blowing a shofar, or ram’s horn, in an attempt to drown out the prayers of the worshipers.

The incident happened as the Jewish holiday Sukkot was underway.

“There is no place in our community, or any community, for those who revel in spouting hate," Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. "Individuals who feel that they have license to desecrate the religious ceremonies and sentiments of Shabbat services and to desecrate the Holiday of Sukkot are in for a surprise. Neither my prosecutors, the Sunny Isles Beach Police Department nor the law enforcement community of Miami-Dade County will allow that to happen.”

Scottish Football Club Probes Presence of Nazi Banner Displayed at Stadium

Rangers have launched an investigation after a flag featuring a Nazi SS symbol was spotted at a recent Ibrox match.

The hate symbol was hung over a railing at the team’s home stadium on Saturday during the 3-1 defeat against Aberdeen.

Supporters and social media users reacted in fury at the banner when images of the flag emerged online, with many calling for the fans involved to be banned.

The incident occurred as the club welcomed 150 serving members of the Army, RAF and Royal Navy to the stadium as part of its Armed Forces Day.

A photograph shared on X/Twitter showed a blue flag with white writing and the phrase: "Rangers Active Unit. 936. The Firm.”

In the middle of the flag is the hate symbol of a skull and crossbones, known as the Totenkopf, or Death’s Head.

During the war, the symbol was used by SS soldiers, particularly those who guarded concentration camps and committed a number of atrocities, some of the worst during the war.

It also became the symbol of the 3rd SS 'Totenkopf' Panzer Division, responsible for several war crimes.

This included the 1940 Le Paradis Massacre, where 97 British soldiers from the Royal Norfolk Regiment were murdered after they surrendered.

After World War 2, neo-Nazis and other white supremacists adopted the hate symbol due to its importance to the SS.

The image of the flag, shared by X/Twitter user S4NDY_1903, has been viewed 1.5 million times in less than 24 hours.

“Horrible nazi c***s. Supposed to be British,” they wrote.

Rangers have now condemned the flag after a public backlash. The incident occurred during the club’s Armed Forces day, where they pay tribute to the British Army.

“Clearly, this flag is absolutely unacceptable and the club condemns the displaying of it within our stadium in the strongest possible terms,” a Rangers spokesperson told the Scottish Sun.

"The club can confirm an investigation is now underway."

Social media users condemned the flag following the match.

“That skull emblem is for the 3rd SS Panzer division as they celebrated their armed forces, couldn’t make this up,” one user said.

"These guys need to be identified and banned,” one added.

Another added: “Disgusting.”

Anti-Jewish Propaganda Littered in Pennsylvania Neighborhood

Police in Montgomery County are investigating reports of pamphlets filled with hate speech found at homes in Upper Moreland Township.

Officers say the antisemitic letters were left at homes along Inman Terrace and Frazier Avenue overnight on Saturday.

"There was really no targeting of Jewish families, but it was more of a mass papering in hopes that they would harass or intimidate Jewish families that would find this paraphernalia," said Lieutenant James Kelly with the Upper Moreland Police Department.

Similar antisemitic letters have been found in Abington and Upper Dublin townships over the past two weeks, officials say.

Police are asking homeowners with security cameras to look for suspicious people or activity.

Cars is Multiple L.A. Neighborhoods Vandalized with Swastikas

Authorities are investigating several vandalism and hate crimes involving unknown suspects spray painting swastikas on vehicles in Los Angeles County, police said. 

The crimes were being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, according to the LAPD. 

Police were investigating incidents in the LAPD's Pacific and 77th Street areas, while it was earlier reported that swastikas were discovered spray-painted on multiple vehicles in the Ladera Heights and View Park-Windsor Hills neighborhoods of southwest Los Angeles County.

Sheriff's officials said the victims discovered the vandalism Friday morning after their vehicles were parked on neighborhood streets overnight. No addresses were given. The two neighborhoods are just south of Kenneth Hahn State Recreational Area. 

There was no immediate suspect information available, and it was unclear exactly when the crimes occurred.

The LAPD urged anyone with information about the vandalism to call them at 877-527-3247. Anyone with information within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department jurisdiction was urged to contact the Marina del Rey sheriff's station at 310-482-6000 or LASD Major Crime Bureau Crime Coordinator Detective Wong at 323-267-4819. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Dutch Neo-Nazi Goes on Murder Rampage

The Dutch student who killed a 14-year-old girl, her mother and a university professor in a twin shooting spree in Rotterdam was a neo-Nazi and self-professed alcoholic who had previously feuded with his lecturers, it has emerged.

The 32-year-old suspect, named as Fouad L., was arrested by armed police after he allegedly killed a mother and a daughter in their own home and set it on fire before travelling to the nearby Erasmus medical university where he shot dead a 43-year-old professor.

Fouad L., who is understood to be a former student at Erasmus, had first burst into a house in the Dutch city and opened fire, killing a 39-year-old woman and seriously injuring her 14-year-old daughter who later died in hospital. 

The suspected shooter then moved to the Erasmus medical centre, where he launched Molotov cocktails and rained bullets at staff, killing professor Jurgen Damen, 43, before he set fire to another part of the facility. 

Terrified medics were seen running for their lives from the building, while others trapped on the higher floors begged for help by putting desperate posters on the windows. Elite police stormed the hospital before they arrested the suspect. 

It has since emerged that Fouad L. appeared to be an avid 4chan user who spoke about his deeply troubled past which included a conviction for torturing his rabbit in 2021 while drunk according to Dutch media.

Local media reports said the mother he killed in the shooting, who has not been named, was the one who reported Fouad L for the animal abuse, which saw the former student lose his job and place at the university. Police are investigating this as a possible motive. 

Prosecutors had warned the university hospital earlier this year about whether to accept Fouad L as a student after it emerged that he had images of people being stabbed on his phone as well as Nazi material when police responded to the report of animal abuse in 2021. 

His posts to the message board 4chan, commonly associated with the far-right, also reveal a shocking and consistent use of racial slurs relating to Jewish and Black people too offensive for publication as he railed against former professors at the university. 

He also claimed to be a 'f***ing genius' in several posts, adding that he was 'bordering on predicting the future.'

Upon his arrest in 2021 for animal abuse, officers found two crossbows in his home, which prosecutors described as 'unhygienic', 'dirty' and covered in 'animal feces', according to the leaked documents.

The suspect's 4Chan post about the incident read: 'Police got really triggered by the p*** bottles, its just bed pots, why does it trigger normies so much?'

He told police that he often forgot what he did while drunk, and that he suffered from depression and alcohol addiction, but did not take any medication for his conditions.

In one post to 4Chan, he claimed that he was consistently suspended from his classes after a former Erasmus professor felt he was 'arrogant for not apologizing for being late to his useless... class,' and went on to make an antisemitic remark about the professor. 

He said that he was consistently picked on by university staff and took his anger out on the rabbit, writing: '[I was] being tortured by my unjust suspension and I acted it out on the rabbit in a Freudian drunk [sic] stupor.'

'I did what I did only due to mortal levels of alcohol in my blood and deep trauma from being suspended for the X amount of times over bull*** normie crap which legit pushed me over the edge,' he wrote in another post in the thread.

'Do you not ask what brutal torture would lead a man to these actions,' he asks another 4Chan user who questioned why he abused the rabbit.

Investigating officers also found disturbing material on his phone, which included images and videos of people being stabbed to death, as well as several 'Nazi-related and right-wing extremist images.'

Fouad L. was also taken to court for allegedly shooting a pigeon through the chest, though the case was dismissed by a Dutch judge after they ruled that police did not provide sufficient evidence.

He was also taken to court after he kicked and threw a dog about his garden, an incident that was caught on tape by witnesses, but it is not known whether he was ever convicted of animal abuse in this case.

The 4Chan account believed to be linked to Fouad L. made several posts airing out his grievances with his university, claiming that he keeps 'getting suspended for 6 months every year' as he cannot connect with any of his teachers or fellow students.

'My dear asperger brothers, with my whole heart I strongly recommend you to just go NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) and never try to do anything in academics, especially if you're not a cuck and insist on speaking your mind like a man,' he wrote in one post.

'You will be chewed out and you will realize too late that your success has nothing to do with your actual results but on how much other ''humans'' (normies) like you.'

He says that the reason he is unable to connect with other people is due to his self-proclaimed intelligence, and likens himself several times to a 'clairvoyant genius.'

'I'm such a f***ing genius I never even had to learn to lie. I straight up carried myself on pure genius. I never needed to develop any kind of social skills or ability to fake emotional intelligence.'

The revelations of his 4Chan posts come hours after the professor he allegedly slaughtered, who shot him at the university he taught at, was been named and pictured for the first time. 

Jurgen Damen was one of three people killed in a twin shooting in the port city of Rotterdam on Thursday afternoon. 

Terrified students, patients and health workers ran for their lives out of the Erasmus Medical Centre, affiliated with Erasmus University, at around 2pm on Thursday in the port city of Rotterdam. 

It is understood that the mother and daughter, who were attacked in their home, lived near the suspected shooter on Heirman Dullaertplein, near the centre of Rotterdam. 

Jurgen worked as a GP for the Katendrecht Health Center, run by the Zonboog foundation, since 2010. 

In 2013, he worked at Erasmus University's medical faculty, where he taught medical students. 

He obtained his PhD from the university in 2019, and reportedly ended his speech upon receiving his doctorate with a thanks to his wife, telling her: 'Maybe with your inexhaustible positive energy it would have been over sooner. 

'We would probably have invested that energy in holidays and other things that make life beautiful. Thank you for your patience. The world is more beautiful with you, I love you.'

The director of the Zonboog foundation, René Baljon, said: 'The impact is great, for his family, colleagues, but also for his patients. Jurgen was an amiable and committed general practitioner. He was also a trainer. 

'Many people in Rotterdam know him. This is also a shock to general practitioner care across the region. We don't know what the perpetrator's motive is, but this is horrible.' 

Rotterdam's chief prosecutor, Hugo Hillenaar said that the suspected shooter, who has not yet been named, was known to law enforcement as was prosecuted and convicted for abusing his rabbit while drunk in 2021. He was reportedly given a 40-hour community service order for the crime. 

Police have not yet announced a motive for the deadly attack allegedly carried out by the man, who has only been identified at FL by Dutch media. 

When asked whether the suspect has previously been rejected from Erasmus' medical faculty, Rotterdam's mayor, Ahmed Aboutaleb, said that that was a scenario 'we are taking into account.' 

Erasmus Medical Centre has since reopened its doors for visitors, and said that it will begin readmitting patients from Friday. 

Meanwhile, Erasmus University has cancelled all its planned lessons on Friday and has offered counselling to its students. 

Police said that the shooter will appear before a magistrate on Friday, and will likely be arraigned 'on Monday or Tuesday.' 

In one video of the shooting, those fleeing could be heard screaming after a loud bang, while a blaze also broke out inside the building.

Footage later showed a man being arrested by armed cops after they had stormed the building to see if the shooter, described as a tall man wearing combat clothing, was still inside. 

Several people who were at the scene of the attack have since publicly shared their experiences of the horrific incident unfolding. 

Eykha, a medical research biotechnician student at the university, said on X, formerly Twitter: 'Cried for hours. My hands are still shaking. It's the darkest day of my entire life.'

Kaouther Mouheb, a PhD candidate at the medical faculty, said: 'After leaving the US for not feeling safe... I did not expect to witness such an incident at my work place in the Netherlands.'

Meanwhile, Dr. Aleksandra Badura, an associate professor at the university, said: 'I never thought I'd have to worry about an active shooter in the Netherlands but here were are.'

She confirmed that everyone in her lab was safely evacuated. 

The university hospital came under attack shortly after a shooting at a nearby home which police are also probing. 

Officials had earlier confirmed that at least three people were injured across the shootings in Rotterdam this afternoon. But in an updated statement at 4.30pm they said: 'The two shooting incidents in Rotterdam resulted in fatalities. We now first inform family and relatives. We will provide further explanation later.'

The unnamed 32-year-old man was arrested under the hospital's helipad and police were investigating his possible involvement in both shootings. Officers said the shooter was carrying a handgun. 

Dutch media reported that the suspect was previously given a 40-hour community service order for getting drunk and kicking his rabbit, which a vet was forced to put out of its misery. 

He was also sent before a judge for allegedly shooting a pigeon through the chest, though he was acquitted for this due to a lack of evidence. 

He was also sent before a judge for allegedly kicking a dog, though it is not currently known if he was ever convicted for this. 

Dutch media were reporting that there were fires at both the house - where the blaze has been put out - and the university hospital, where flames are still burning. 

De Telegraaf reports that the suspect shot two people at a house on Heiman Dullaertplein in the west of the city. It's understood he then drove to the Erasmus MC, less than a mile away.

It was here that a second shooting reportedly took place in a classroom.

Several officers, including specialised arrest teams, have been pictured at the hospital which has been cordoned off. 

Armed police were pictured scouring the roof of the medical centre, while police helicopters hovered over the city.

Witnesses described the chaotic scenes around the hospital, as helicopters buzzed overhead and police snipers took up positions on the hospital roof.

'First there was a shooting on the fourth floor. Four or five shots were fired. Then a Molotov cocktail was thrown into the education centre,' a medical student, who did not give his name, told local media. 

Another eyewitness told a public broadcaster: 'There was a lot of panic and screaming... I didn't hear any shots, just the panic and that's what I started to act on.'

Footage shared on social media showed students sprinting through the corridors trying to escape the gunfire and flames. 

One student told the Dutch daily: 'We just had to run away from the arrest team to behind the school. Something is not right.' 

Nigel Jansen, a 26-year-old intern held at gunpoint by armed police, recalled being told: 'Hands up, get out quickly!' 

He told AD: 'The panic was great. People were running and crying. We had received something, but it was unclear what was going on.'  

One elderly patient was pictured being evacuated out of the medical centre in a wheelchair as armed police swarmed the building which is home to Rotterdam's Erasmus University's faculty of medicine.

Earlier, police said the gunman possibly left the scene on a motorcycle, but they later said an arrest team was checking the Erasmus Medical Centre to establish if he was still in the building. 

Figures from across the Netherlands have already begun expressing their sympathies for the victims and Rotterdam's residents. 

'There is great dismay after the dramatic events in Rotterdam this afternoon,' outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on X, formerly Twitter. 

'My thoughts go out to the victims of the violence, their loved ones and to all the people who have been in great fear. Many thanks to the people of the services for their actions and assistance on site,' he added. 

Healthcare Minister Ernst Kuipers said: 'Innocent victims were killed today in a place where everyone should feel safe. Attacked in a place where people are treated and doctors of the future are trained. It is difficult for us to comprehend.'

The country's royal family have also shared tributes to the victims. 

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima said in a statement: 'Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the victims of this afternoon's violent acts in Rotterdam.' 

In July, two people and a gunman were injured in a shooting at a summer carnival in Rotterdam. 

The gunman was shot by police several times after opening fire. 

There have also been scores of small explosions and at homes and businesses across Rotterdam this year, blamed on rival drug gangs.

MailOnline has contacted Erasmus University for comment.  

Vermont Public Forum Interrupted by Antisemitic Pranksters

Wednesday night’s City Council meeting was disrupted by a virtual participant who spewed a series of antisemitic comments — at least one of them laced with and expletive.

The man, who used the name “Ray Sizgoy” — a seeming play on the words “racist guy” — unmuted himself and interrupted the meeting and made several antisemitic and one racist comment over the course of the next minute.

City staff were able to mute him and suspend the meeting for several minutes while working to eject him from the meeting — an exercise that left all of the meeting’s remote participants in a virtual waiting room.

The episode prompted the council and city administrators to “strongly condemn” the comments on Thursday, while signaling the “honor system” that has been used with rare disruption since the start of the pandemic would likely change.

For more than three years, those attending what were first all-virtual meetings and have since morphed into hybrid sessions, have been free to unmute themselves to participate in the council’s discussion — a right that has been rarely abused.

That won’t be an option going forward. In order to prevent future disruptions, all Zoom participants will be muted when entering the meeting and only permitted to unmute when called on to speak. That will require using the “raised hand” function most already do.

City officials said the offensive segment would be removed from the ORCA Media recording that is posted online in order to comply with YouTube’s policy on hate speech. However, in order to comply with Vermont Public Records law, the full recording will be available upon request from ORCA Media.

Antisemitic Speech Takes Over a Virtual California City Hall Meeting

Ventura Mayor Joe Schroeder denounced hate speech Friday after speakers made antisemitic and racist remarks via video conferencing at a City Council meeting earlier in the week.

Four speakers who appeared to give false names made the remarks during the public comment period at the end of the Sept. 25 meeting.

"Hate speech has no place in our city," Schroeder said in Friday's statement. "...This event was deeply troubling, and witnessing such vulgar behavior saddens me."

Similar activity has been reported during public meetings of city councils, county supervisors and school boards elsewhere in the state, according to the municipal news and job site CaliforniaCityNews.org.

At the Ventura meeting, a person who provided the name June but whose gender was uncertain described themself as "not antisemitic in general," then went on to say, "but there is a problem with the Jews owning too much of the landscape."

Another speaker, who provided the name Judy S and used profanity while commenting, said the city has been following county ordinances influenced by the Anti-Defamation League — a longstanding organization that fights antisemitism — and other groups "that tell you that you need to even the playing field." The speaker said that keeps opportunities away from "hard-working white people" and also made disparaging remarks about Mexicans and Jews.

Ventura City Council meetings are hosted in a hybrid setting of virtual and in-person participation, said Michael MacDonald, Ventura city clerk. The city uses Webex, which is similar to Zoom, to host the virtual portion.

Virtual participants can join through a link posted on the agenda. The city clerk's office manages virtual public comments using a chat feature.

Speakers identify themselves and say what item they would like to speak on but are not required to use their full names, MacDonald said.

While four speakers made comments, there were 15 names within the same group of people. MacDonald said he anticipated the comments because he'd heard about other California cities hit with antisemitic and racist messages.

Names online participants used to join the meeting had signaled those intentions, MacDonald said. One person, for example, called themself George Lincoln Rockwell, the founder of the American Nazi Party. Other names related to the Holocaust, Nazis or racist terms.

"They were saying really horrible and vile things in the chat throughout the meeting," MacDonald said. "The first comment was the Holocaust did not happen but should have. That's how the chat started."

MacDonald said he wrote in the chat to refrain from making such comments.

During the meeting, City Attorney Andy Heglund interrupted each of the four speakers to get them to stay on topic.

Schroeder, in his mayoral statement, said racist behavior will not be tolerated in Ventura.

"I ask my colleagues on the City Council and all Ventura community members to join me in solidarity with our Jewish community members," he said. "Let us reaffirm our unwavering commitment to condemn racism and white supremacy and to reject hate, discrimination, harassment, violence, racism, and xenophobia."

At the meeting, Councilmember Bill McReynolds spoke out against the remarks after the last speaker.

"As the proud son of an immigrant mother and Jewish grandparents, I’m very proud of my service here," McReynolds said. "I want to thank everyone for being here and supporting against what we heard tonight."

Despite the incident, the city will not change how people sign up for virtual comments, MacDonald said.

California City Council Meeting Hijacked by Antisemitic Speech

Hate speech is spreading and hijacking government meetings in the Bay Area, forcing some local officials to restrict virtual public comments.

During an El Cerrito City Council meeting Tuesday, several people spewed racist and antisemitic rhetoric during the public comment period that was so vile, the meeting abruptly ended.

"It got so bad we actually had to stop the meeting early," Mayor Lisa Motoyama said. "We do not condone hate in our city."

El Cerrito is just the latest community falling victim to an attack by far-right extremists and hate groups aiming to harass officials and amplify their messages, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

At least one Jewish city official was personally attacked just days before the Yom Kippur holiday. 

The rhetoric used was strikingly similar to Walnut Creek Councilmember Kevin Wilk who was repeatedly targeted in June. 

"It was shocking at first…I was angry," said Wilk. "I’m not going to be intimidated and I’m certainly not going to step down from rebuking publicly vile comments, whether it’s antisemitic or other hateful comments."

Wilk said Walnut Creek was the first in the Bay Area attacked by outside groups. Other cities including South San Francisco, Sacramento and Monterey have also had their meetings taken over.

"They are looking to make people numb with this hate speech, to normalize the hate speech," he said. "This is not normal."

Those joining the meetings virtually don’t show their faces but push white supremacist, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ narratives.

Levine said those spewing the hateful messages are oftentimes not local and do not even live in California. He said they seek to disrupt the meetings.

"To attract attention to themselves, to recruit and raise money and unfortunately stop government from serving the public," said Levine.

A similar problem occurred at the onset of the pandemic in 2020, but then declined in the next couple of years. It has since picked back up.

"It’s terrible. It’s really personalized, and it’s really, really wrong," Motoyama said.

Motoyama said on Tuesday it quickly became difficult to balance the right to free speech, while stopping hateful comments.

Some El Cerrito residents told KTVU not enough was done to silence the inappropriate attacks and language.

"Council should have shut down this speech the moment it became abusive," one resident said. "First and foremost, it is hate speech and we do not tolerate it. Second, it is off-topic, so not relevant."

But Mayor Motoyama warned that the city has to follow the law and cutting off comments could be costly to taxpayers.

"That is exactly the kind of gut reaction that these hate speakers are looking for," she said. "They want to bring a lawsuit against us for breaching their first amendment rights."

City and county leaders have met to discuss legal ways to restrict hate speech including limiting the total time for public comment period or reducing the time a person is allowed to speak.