FBI investigating ‘horrific antisemitic attack’ on American who served in Israeli army

The FBI is investigating a “horrific antisemitic attack” that happened in Clayton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. 

The target of the attack was an American citizen who served with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Just after 3 a.m. on Aug. 5, officers from the Clayton Police Department (CPD) arrived at the scene where three vehicles were set on fire outside the home of the unnamed American citizen. The words “DEATH TO THE IDF” were also spray-painted in the driveway. Officials are treating the incident as a hate crime and believe the fires were set intentionally.

AUTHORITIES PROBE ANTISEMITIC ATTACK INVOLVING ARSON, THREATENING GRAFFITI IN MIDWEST CITY: ‘VIOLENT ACTS’

“Anyone who’s going to make an attack on Jewish Americans, you can expect criminal charges, unlike the previous administration,” Leo Terrell, who leads the DOJ Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, told Fox News. He later vowed on X that the Trump administration would ensure that “those who commit antisemitic hate crimes will be brought to justice. Zero tolerance for Jew hatred in America!”

Clayton Mayor Bridget McAndrew condemned the attack on Tuesday, saying the city would “not tolerate harassment, intimidation, or violence based on someone’s nationality, race, religion, or ideology.”

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“The attack on a Jewish family in St. Louis is yet another example of politically and ideologically motivated violence that should concern everyone. Upon learning of the incident, the embassy alerted Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the United States Department of Justice, Attorney Leo Terrell, who is aggressively implementing a policy of zero tolerance for anti-Israel violence and violent rhetoric,” a spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in D.C. told Fox News Digital.

While hate crimes dropped slightly in 2024, according to FBI data, anti-Jewish hate crimes hit a new high. The bureau recorded 11,679 hate crime incidents in 2024 versus 11,862 in 2023. Even though Jews make up approximately 2% of the U.S. population, according to Pew research, FBI data indicates that 16% of all hate crimes and nearly 70% of all religion-based hate crimes were anti-Jewish.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) also keeps track of antisemitic incidents, documenting a total of 9,354 in 2024, the highest number on record since it began tabulating in 1979. The difference between the ADL’s and FBI’s numbers is due to the ADL’s inclusion of non-criminal acts, while the bureau only counts criminal incidents.

“‘Globalize the intifada’ is a clear and unambiguous call to violence. Period. And we see what that threat looks like on American streets — in D.C., in Boulder, and now in St. Louis,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt told Fox News Digital. “It’s 2025. This cannot be acceptable in the US — or anywhere else.”

The Trump administration has focused on combating rising antisemitism in the U.S. through its establishment of the task force led by Terrell. Additionally, the administration has worked to penalize universities that it says did not adequately handle antisemitism on their campuses.