Sarasota Chabad Attacker Influenced by Anti-Israel Content, Including Mamdani Video
A man charged in the Sarasota Chabad attack told police anti-Israel “propaganda” online had angered him. Investigators found he had reposted a video by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal.” Police say he admitted targeting the synagogue because it was Jewish • Read More
By chabadinfo reporter
A troubling development in the investigation of a hate crime in Sarasota, Florida: a 30-year-old man was arrested after allegedly throwing a brick through a window at Chabad of Downtown SRQ. During questioning, the suspect told investigators that he was “anti-Israel,” while police found that he had been exposed to anti-Israel content on social media in the days leading up to the attack.
According to police, Brayton Laschinger allegedly approached the Chabad House around 6 a.m. on July 29 with a blue towel covering his head and face. Surveillance footage showed him taking a brick from a nearby yard and throwing it through the synagogue’s front window before fleeing the scene. The damage was estimated at more than $5,000. His roommate later helped police identify him.
During his interrogation, Laschinger reportedly said that social-media “propaganda” he had seen had made him angry. According to the police affidavit, he admitted that he deliberately targeted the building because it was a Jewish place of worship and said he was “anti-Israel.”
Investigators also found that he had reposted a video by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in which Mamdani called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal.”
Laschinger has been charged with felony criminal mischief involving a religious building, with a hate-crime enhancement. He posted bond and is scheduled to appear in court later this month, while the investigation into the circumstances and influences behind the attack continues.
The case has raised serious questions about the consequences of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish rhetoric when amplified by prominent public figures and political leaders. Investigators found that the suspect had reposted a video by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal” and accusing him of responsibility for what he described as a “horrific genocide” against Palestinians. Police say the suspect’s exposure to such content, combined with his own anti-Israel views, preceded his decision to target the Chabad House because it was a Jewish place of worship.
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