PHILADELPHIA – A man accused of splattering red paint on an Israeli flag in Philadelphia has been taken into custody.
Laura Frank, an employee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, tells the Philadelphia Inquirer she saw a man standing near the flag with a paint gun on Tuesday and called police.
Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney confirmed a suspect was taken into custody and decried the vandalism as hateful.
Kenney said "emotions are running high" after Israeli soldiers killed dozens of Palestinians protesting on the Gaza border on Monday. The protests were partly driven by anger over the relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The vandalism suspect's name hasn't been released. The flag hangs along a major boulevard as part of a display of world flags.
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