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- A synagogue in Montreal was spraypainted with swastikas on Wednesday.
- The police have arrested a 28-year-old man, according to CTV News.
- Leonard Cohen had previously attended the synagogue and was an active member of the community.
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On Wednesday, one of Canada’s oldest synagogues was found daubed with Nazi swastikas.
Montreal police were summoned to the scene at 1.30 pm and arrested a 28-year-old man, according to CTV News.
The suspect was carrying a canister of gasoline when apprehended, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency said.
The local hate crime unit is investigating the incident, Global News reported.
But the man suspected of vandalizing the property is receiving a psychiatric assessment before appearing in court, the CTV News reported.
Congregation Shaar Hashomayim, founded in 1864, is the largest traditional synagogue in Canada.
It is most famous for having been the place of prayer of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen.
—Meyer Labin (@MeyerLabin) January 13, 2021
The "Hallelujah" singer is buried next to his parents, also members, at the cemetery of Shaar Hashomayim.
The synagogue is also where Cohen had his bar mitzvah and said Kaddish - the Jewish mourner's prayer - for his father, according to The Globe and Mail.
He was so connected to the congregation that, in 2016, he asked the synagogue's cantor and choir to provide vocals for his Grammy-winning album "You Want It Darker."