Antisemitism: man arrested for vandalizing the AMIA headquarters

In a clear demonstration of the determination of the national government to protect the Jewish community and the values of freedom, the security forces dismantled a new attack against the AMIA. In the early hours of Sunday, June 14, the Police managed to arrest a 29-year-old individual from the city of La Plata, who was caught vandalizing the facade of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA).

The operation was urgently activated following an alert about the presence of a suspect at Uriburu al 600, in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Balvanera, where a recent spray painting in fluorescent green was confirmed on the concrete wall of the security booth. At the time of the search, the officers seized six cans of spray paint that the individual had ready to continue the attack.

This new act of hostility occurs in a climate of tension, recalling that in March 2026 the institution had already been the target of bomb threats under the title “ISLAMIC JIHAD”, which referenced the tragic attacks of 1992 and 1994.

Despite the institutional gravity, the individual arrested for the graffiti was notified under a contravention record for dirtying property, a figure that establishes penalties of only one to fifteen days of community service or fines, although there are aggravating factors when religious temples or community centers are affected.

It is imperative to note that this focus of intolerance seems to have a recurring origin in the Buenos Aires capital. This vandalism incident adds to the dangerously concerning precedent recorded on May 17, when M. Ángel Alberto, a 57-year-old man also from La Plata, was arrested for perpetrating attacks with Molotov cocktails.

On that occasion, the criminal attacked the Israelite Literary Center and Max Nordau Library on April 30 and the Beit Jabad synagogue on May 3, where cameras recorded the exact moment he threw the incendiary devices.

Just like in the case of the AMIA, the attacked institutions in La Plata were emphatic: “We cannot dissociate this episode from the growth of antisemitism at the international and national levels, as well as from the climates of intolerance that enable expressions of hate”.

While in the territory of Axel Kicillof arsenals were found that included a .22 caliber rifle, a 16 gauge shotgun, a .38 caliber revolver, and 9 millimeter projectiles, the government of Javier Milei reaffirms that there will be no concessions for those who attempt to import external conflicts or attack citizens for their faith or community belonging. Security and justice must prevail over the impunity that often shelters these hate crimes.