Woman Arrested In Connection To Vandalized Royal Oak Synagogue: Police

ROYAL OAK, MI — A 35-year-old Clinton Township woman was arrested in connection to a Royal Oak synagogue that was vandalized Friday with an anti-Semitic message, police said.

Police did not release the woman's name or specify the charges, as they turned over their findings to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office.

"The swift apprehension of the suspect is a perfect example of how our relationships with the community and collaboration with our law enforcement partners bring incidents like these to a close," Royal Oak Police Chief Michael Moore said. "I’m proud of our continued partnership with the Jewish Community Security and the tireless efforts of our detectives and law enforcement partners who were critical to this investigation."

Officers found a swastika with the word "AZOV" spray-painted on an outside wall of the Woodward Avenue Shul, a Jewish cultural center. The word AZOV is associated with a Ukrainian militia group with Neo-Nazi leanings.

Officials removed the graffiti from the cultural center within a few hours.

An Anti-Defamation League report showed Michigan ranked fourth in the nation for white supremacist propaganda distribution in 2022.

"The recent hateful act of anti-Semitic vandalism at the Woodward Avenue Shul was deeply disturbing and unacceptable," Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter said. "We all have a responsibility to denounce hatred when we see it, and I am confident that residents from across Oakland County will join me in denouncing anti-Semitism and in rejecting it in all its forms in our communities."