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The growing anti-Semitism (AP file photo)
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| By israelinsider staff and partners November 27, 2006 |
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Police arrested a man suspected of causing widespread damage by smashing windows and other glass surfaces at a Jewish school in the Austrian capital early Sunday using an iron rod, a spokesman said.
The man, who has not been identified, was arrested Sunday at the Lauder Chabad school after residents alerted police because of the noise, police spokesman Herbert Hutter said. The man's motive was not immediately clear. He was refusing to answer questions and was largely silent, Hutter said.
In addition to broken windows, glass and other objects were damaged in the school's restrooms, Hutter said.
Images on the Web site of Austrian broadcaster ORF showed the building's hallways littered with glass. Doors and glass display cases were also damaged, ORF reported.
Austrian radio reported that the man told police he was Croatian, which was confirmed by Hutter who noted that police were still checking.
Ariel Muzicant, the head of Vienna's Jewish Community, expressed shock and disbelief at the devastation.
He noted it was still unclear if the man was anti-Semitic or mentally ill, apprehensive of making generalizations about the vandalization.
"I don't want to create the impression that Jews face once again being beaten on the streets of Austria," he said amidst heaps of glass shards including from a display case whose sports trophies lay on the floor, misshapen from heavy blows.
"This is an act of vandalism, it's not a tragedy. Nothing was burned down, no one was hurt. We don't know whether this was the act of a mentally ill person or an (organized) political act," Muzicant was quoted as saying..
"However, it is no doubt an anti-Semitic act, done out of rage and hatred. It's very disturbing. But we will definitely not be intimidated by something like this."
Muzicant added, "One asks oneself however, what goes through the mind of a man who attacks a school and destroys so much."
He did not provide an estimate of the damage caused.
Muzicant later told The Associated Press that some 100 glass panes had been destroyed and the school was being cleaned up so that classes could take place as planned Monday.
"We're now in the process of putting everything in order," he said.
APA cited Jacob Biderman, head of the school's administration, as saying that the man told the police officers who arrested him that his name was Adolf Hitler.
Hutter could not confirm that the man had said this, saying he had no such information.
AP contributed to this report.
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