Chattanooga police are investigating multiple damaged vehicles at the local Jewish Center.
Two cars were torched at the center on Saturday night.
On July 16, 2015, Islamist Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez opened fire on two military installations in Chattanooga, Tennessee killing five servicemen.
The Times Free Press reported:
Chattanooga police increased patrols near local Jewish centers and places of worship Sunday after damaged vehicles were found at the Jewish Cultural Center in the morning.
Two cars in the parking lot were burned, one more severely than the other. Another vehicle was parked next to them but did not appear to have serious damage.
Police and leaders in the local Jewish community did not publicly jump to conclusions about the incident, but police said in a news release they were trying to determine if prejudice was behind the blaze.
The executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, Michael Dzik, said in a statement his organization was letting authorities investigate before commenting on the circumstances of the incident.
“I am confident and trust they will complete a thorough investigation and hopefully bring the perpetrators to justice,” Dzik wrote. “At this time the initial report seems to be a random act, not a hate crime.”
