Washington, D.C., police on Sunday arrested a man who allegedly carried out an anti-Semitic attack on a synagogue in Georgetown.
"Second District officers responded to the 2800 block of N Street, Northwest, for the report of an individual spraying an unknown substance at two victims while shouting an anti-Semitic phrase," the Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement. "Responding officers located the suspect and placed him under arrest. As a precautionary measure, the suspect’s vehicle was swept with no hazardous materials found. No injuries were reported."
Police arrested 33-year-old Brent Wood, who faces charges of simple assault and resisting arrest. The department is investigating the incident as a hate crime, though it stressed that the designation could change and that it does not mean prosecutors will pursue the case as such.
The Kesher Israel Congregation was the site of the attack, NBC News4 Washington reported. The suspect yelled, "Gas the Jews" during the attack, the affiliate reported, citing unnamed sources.
The attack came as synagogues across the country received bomb threats. Kesher Israel was one such synagogue, and leaders called police when they became aware of the threat, its president said in an email, according to Jewish News Syndicate.
There are no remaining credible threats against synagogues in the district, and the bomb threats do not appear to be related to Sunday's attack, police told CNN.
Anti-Semitic incidents have increased since Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the Jewish state's ensuing war against the terror group, increasing almost 400 percent in the month of October, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Just over a week ago, a man allegedly attacked a Jewish couple in Beverly Hills hours after he was released on cashless bail.