Rostock, Germany - Stone-throwing vandals broke windows at a synagogue in the German city of Rostock overnight, police said Thursday, adding they had not yet identified the attackers. Several windows were broken, including a fanlight with a Star of David painted on it over the front door of the community centre.
Police stepped up patrols near the centre. The port city of Rostock is part of eastern Germany, where neo-Nazi violence has been the most prevalent in recent years.
Police said they had no evidence but assumed an anti-Semitic motive behind the attack. Last week someone had used spray paint to deface the same building.
Juri Rosov, chairman of the Rostock Jewish Community, called the attack "a disgraceful act of vandalism."
Roland Methling, the city's mayor, sought to reassure Jews, saying, "Rostock is proud and happy that a vital Jewish community is part of the city."
