Germany�s foreign minister on Friday condemned the apparent neo-Nazi defacement of a religious symbol outside a synagogue in Berlin.

Police in the German capital said a piece of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah was removed from its case at the Tiferet Israel synagogue�s doorpost, defaced with swastikas and replaced. Police were alerted to the incident late Thursday.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tweeted that �it simply hurt to see something so disgusting.�

�This crime must be quickly solved and those responsible punished!� he said, expressing his support for the country�s Jewish community.

German authorities have pledged to heighten security for Jewish premises following an anti-Semitic attack last year on a synagogue in Halle.

(AP)