Several cars were set ablaze and threatening graffiti—including the phrase “Death to the IDF”—was spray-painted in a quiet residential neighborhood in the St. Louis suburb of Clayton on Tuesday night. Authorities say the attack targeted a Jewish American who had recently returned from serving in the IDF.

Three vehicles were torched in the driveway of the victim’s family home, and hateful messages were scrawled across the property, including personalized threats too graphic to broadcast unblurred. Law enforcement is investigating the incident as a hate crime, and a suspect is reportedly in custody.

“This was not random. It was targeted, deliberate, and rooted in hate,” said Leo Terrell, head of the Trump administration’s antisemitism task force. “This was a horrific antisemitic attack on a Jewish family simply because their son served in the IDF.”

Terrell confirmed he has contacted the FBI regarding the case and vowed that “those who commit antisemitic hate crimes will be caught—and they will be held accountable.”

No injuries were reported.

The St. Louis Fire Department responded to the vehicle fires, and local police are working with federal authorities to determine if the attack is linked to broader extremist networks.

The attack comes as the United States grapples with a historic spike in antisemitic hate crimes, which surged following Hamas’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel. According to new FBI data, antisemitic incidents hit a record 1,938 cases in 2024, accounting for nearly 70% of all religion-based hate crimes in the country.

Jewish community leaders condemned the Clayton attack, blaming an atmosphere of unchecked hatred that has metastasized from online platforms and street protests into real-world violence.

“When you hear people chant ‘globalize the intifada,’ this is what it looks like—burned cars in American neighborhoods,” said Jordan Kadosh of the Anti-Defamation League. “They aren’t speaking metaphorically. This is the real-world consequence of weaponized rhetoric.”

The Jewish Federation of St. Louis issued a statement calling the incident “more than vandalism—it is a hateful act of intimidation” and “the direct result of antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric becoming normalized.”

Danny Cohn, the Federation’s president and CEO, said the organization’s Community Security Team is working closely with law enforcement. “What starts as words quickly escalates into violence when hate is tolerated,” he warned. “We urge community leaders to speak out forcefully before more lives are put at risk.”

Clayton Mayor Bridget McAndrew also condemned the arson as “an offensive and violent act of hate,” confirming that it is being investigated as a hate crime. “We will not tolerate harassment, intimidation, or violence based on someone’s nationality, race, religion, or ideology,” she said.

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