US Attorney: Man charged after Kalamazoo synagogue defaced
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A man has been charged after allegedly spray-painting swastikas on a Jewish house of worship in Kalamazoo, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan announced.
Jiafeng Chen, 27, was charged on Wednesday with damaging religious property, according to a release from the office.
KDPS: Man linked to vandalism with hate speech arrested
The attorney’s office says Chen in November spray-painted swastikas on the Chabad House of Kalamazoo, which holds religious, cultural and community activities. A menorah out front was also defaced, according to the release.
“Defacing religious property is not mere vandalism,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a statement. “It’s an attack on a constitutional right that tries to tell certain people they’re not
welcome in the community.”
On Nov. 21, the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety asked the public for help identifying a person believed to be involved in “hateful speech being spray painted.” Police released screenshots of a surveillance video showing the person. The next day, KDPS identified him as Chen, a native of China who did “not appear to have any significant ties to the area.”
Chen was arrested Nov. 27 in Arizona on an unrelated charge, according to KDPS.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
