Police: Suspect in connection with antisemitic graffiti on Royal Oak synagogue is in custody

Clinton Township woman in custody

ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Police have arrested a person who is connected with the antisemitic graffiti that was painted on a Royal Oak synagogue.

Royal Oak police reported on Tuesday that a 35-year-old woman from Clinton Township was taken into custody late Monday night. Farmington Hills Directed Patrol Unit arrested the woman for her connections with the spray painted swastika and four letters on an outside wall of The Woodward Shul.

Many organizations worked together to identify the suspect. The Royal Oak Detectives worked with investigators from the Jewish Community Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Farmington Hills Police Department to find the Clinton Township woman.

“The swift apprehension of the suspect is a perfect example of how our relationships with the community and collaboration with our law enforcement partners bring incidents like these to a close. I’m proud of our continued partnership with the Jewish Community Security and the tireless efforts of our detectives and law enforcement partners who were critical to this investigation,” Police Chief Michael Moore said in a statement.


Previous coverage: Royal Oak police seeking person responsible for antisemitic graffiti on synagogue


Police say that on April 28 at 4 p.m., police responded to a report of graffiti on the Royal Oak synagogue. It was reported that a swastika symbol and four letters were spray painted in red on the east wall of the Jewish Community Center.

Officials from the Jewish Community Relations Council state that they were aware of multiple swastikas spray painted throughout Oakland County around the same time period.

“Our entire community – Jewish and non-Jewish – must condemn these actions of hatred and intolerance,” said Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council Rabbi Asher Lopatin. “Intolerance against one of us is intolerance against all of us.”


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