Religious Intolerance

FBI Prepared To Investigate Swastika Carved Into Jewish Student’s Back As An Alleged Hate Crime

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UPDATE: This piece has been updated to include a statement from the FBI.

A Jewish student in Las Vegas, Nevada, was allegedly the victim of a hate crime after a swastika was carved into his back, according to The Jerusalem Post.

A 17-year-old Jewish teen, who is nonverbal and uses a service dog, allegedly came home from school on March 9 with his dog’s bag torn up and a swastika carved into his arm, according to The Jerusalem Post. The incident was reported to the FBI by the Israeli-American Council’s (IAC’s) School Watch, a nonprofit organization that advocates for Jews and the U.S.-Israel relationship, after the school and the teen’s special assistant denied anything had happened.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) of Nevada asked anyone with information about the “violent antisemitic act” to turn it over to the ADL or the FBI, according to a Twitter post.

“Not only was this student targeted for his identifiable faith, but he was particularly vulnerable due to his disability,” a statement from ADL Nevada read. “School should be no place for hate and no student should be made to feel unsafe and threatened.”

A statement from ADL Nevada Regional Director @BrislinJolie on a suspected hate incident against a visibly Jewish 17-year-old boy in the Las Vegas area. Read more about this incident here: https://t.co/DX8pmfePjapic.twitter.com/rjP0slLfSb

— ADL Nevada (@ADL_Nevada) April 19, 2023

The mother told news outlets that she had asked the “shadow assistant” that worked with her son about the incident on multiple occasions, but was informed that nothing unusual had happened that day, according to The Jerusalem Post.

“Did he use the bathroom?” the mother asked. “Did he have any meltdowns yesterday? I would think this would have caused him to have a meltdown or get agitated.”

A report was filed the following Monday with the Clark County School District Police but the school does not use cameras in the bathrooms, locker rooms or classrooms, according to COLive, a Jewish media outlet, and told the mother that it found nothing to suggest an antisemitic attack. Following the incident, the student’s mother removed her son from the school, arguing that the assistant must know something.

“As far as I know, the one-on-one is still working at CCSD (Clark County School District),” she told COLive. “Her job is to be with my son. If she did not do [the carving], I believe she knows who did.”

“We are aware of the incident and are in regular contact with local authorities, the FBI told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “If during the local investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal civil rights violation, the FBI is prepared to investigate.”

The ADL and FBI did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.