US police say no evidence of anti-Semitism in slaying of synagogue leader

Detroit, Michigan (AFP): Police probing the stabbing death of the president of a US synagogue said Sunday that no evidence has emerged of anti-Semitism as a motive.

Detroit police chief James White said in a brief statement that his force is interviewing “individuals with information that may further the investigation” into the death Saturday of Samantha Woll. He gave no details.

“No evidence has surfaced suggesting that this crime was motivated by anti-Semitism,” White said.

He said the FBI is assisting Detroit police and he asked for patience as the probe proceeds.

“Everything that can be done to bring this matter to closure is being called into service,” White said.

Woll presided over the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, which serves metropolitan Detroit.

The murder came amid escalating tensions in Jewish and Muslim communities across the United States over the Israel-Hamas war, which has taken thousands of lives this month.

Emergency personnel found Woll dead outside her home with multiple stab wounds, police said in a statement Saturday. A trail of blood led officers to Woll’s home, “which is where the crime is believed to have occurred.”

Woll, who led the synagogue since 2022, was also active in Democratic Party affairs, working for US congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and on the campaign of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, the Detroit Free Press said.

“I am shocked, saddened and horrified to learn of Sam’s brutal murder. Sam was as kind a person as I’ve ever known,” Nessel posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Slotkin, who served as a CIA officer before entering Congress, said Woll sought to build “understanding across faiths, bringing light in the face of darkness.”

The Free Press said Woll had been active in a grassroots organization aimed at building ties between young Muslims and Jews.

A Muslim member of the US House representing the Detroit area, Rashida Tlaib, described Woll as a friend and said she was shocked at the killing.

“I have no words,” Tlaib posted on Facebook.