Man cites Mamdani video after Florida synagogue attack

Police say a Florida synagogue attack suspect cited online propaganda and a video featuring Zohran Mamdani.

By World Israel News Staff

A Florida man who threw a brick through the window of a synagogue said he was motivated by anti-Israel content on social media — including a video posted by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — according to investigators.

Brayton Laschinger, 30, threw the brick at a Chabad House in Sarasota in late July. During questioning, Laschinger reportedly told investigators that he was driven to attack the synagogue by “propaganda on social media that was making him mad.”

Sarasota Police Department Detective Frank Castro said in a court document that Laschinger “admitted to deliberately throwing the brick at the window of the synagogue because it was a Jewish temple.”

“He stated he was anti-Israel,” Castro continued.

According to Castro, Laschinger told investigators that he had been pushed toward violence after watching a video circulating on social media in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was accused of hypocrisy over his condemnation of the Turkish genocide of Armenians and his alleged role in what the video described as a genocide against Palestinians.

Laschinger said the video made him “want to fight back,” according to Castro’s account.

Investigators subsequently reviewed Laschinger’s Instagram account, which reportedly contained no political material aside from his reposting of a video featuring Mamdani, the Democratic socialist who became New York City’s mayor.

In the video, Mamdani accused Netanyahu of being a war criminal and blamed him for civilian deaths during the Israel-Hamas war.

“Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,” Mamdani said in the clip.

“He is responsible for the killing of more than 73,000 people, for the maiming of tens of thousands of children … for the targeting of neonatal hospitals and maternity care centers.”

According to the police account, Laschinger’s alleged attack was directed specifically at the synagogue because it was Jewish rather than at a particular individual or political institution.

The incident has resulted in a felony hate-crime charge against Laschinger. Authorities allege that his stated anti-Israel views and the circumstances surrounding the attack provide evidence of an antisemitic motive.

Laschinger, who is originally from Indiana, also has a previous criminal record in that state, including convictions related to marijuana possession and driving under the influence, according to the New York Post.