Indiana Synagogue Vandal Says He Was Radicalized By Ben Shapiro, Far-Right Media
The man who vandalized a synagogue in Indiana with swastika graffiti last year told federal agents that he was radicalized by far-right media like Breitbart and by meeting with the white supremacist group Identity Evropa, according to BuzzFeed.
The vandal, Nolan Brewer, 21, pleaded guilty last week to “conspiring to violate the civil rights” of the synagogue, Congregation Shaarey Tefilla. He was sentenced to a three year prison term.
From BuzzFeed:
In July 2018, Brewer and his then-17-year-old wife, Kiyomi Brewer, drove 50 miles from their home to the synagogue, spray painted a Nazi flag and iron crosses on a Dumpster enclosure, and lit a fire on the ground. Prosecutors said they originally planned to break into the synagogue and destroy it with homemade bombs and napalm they brought along, but they got scared.
Brewer apparently told the FBI that he wanted to intimidate Jews based on beliefs in conspiracy theories that say Jews control the world.
“I guess it’s just… back down or something like that,” Brewer told the FBI, describing the message he wanted to sent to the Jewish community. He also wanted attention in the media, and said he was proud that Vice President Mike Pence condemned the vandalism.
Brewer told FBI officers he wanted to “scare the hell out of [Jews],” and send “a message of like, get out I guess,” according to prosecutors.
Evidence in the case included racist memes shared by Brewer and selfies wearing an iron cross. His phone wallpaper was apparently a swastika.
“It is clear that he has adopted beliefs based on ‘alt-right’ or white nationalist propaganda,” the defense attorneys said.
Details of Brewer’s case were shared by data scientists and researcher Emily Gorcenski on Twitter.