Brent Wood, 35, of Toledo, Ohio, was charged with a hate crime for allegedly attacking Jews outside the Orthodox synagogue Kesher Israel in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
A federal grand jury indicted Wood on three counts “of obstructing by force or threat of force a person’s enjoyment of their free exercise of religious beliefs, while using a dangerous weapon,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Wood is accused of yelling “Gas the Jews” at congregants outside the synagogue on Dec. 17 and “spraying a noxious aerosol,” according to the U.S. Justice Department.
He faces up to 60 years in jail for the three counts. He is currently a fugitive in a case of simple assault before D.C. Superior Court, according to the department.
“As antisemitism continues to rise nationwide, this indictment sends a clear message that attempts to intimidate and threaten the local Jewish community will not be tolerated,” the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington stated.
