Two men arrested for vandalizing graves at a Jewish cemetery in Germany

German police arrested two suspects in the vandalism of a Jewish cemetery in the town of Geilenkirchen.

The suspects, ages 21 and 33, allegedly knocked over more than 40 gravestones in the Jewish cemetery in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Sunday. The men, who were reportedly wearing hoods, also defaced some of the graves with blue paint.

A witness called the police, who arrested the suspects.

Meanwhile, on Sunday night two hooded men vandalized a Jewish cemetery in the town of Geilenkirchen in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The suspects, ages 21 and 33, allegedly knocked down more than 40 gravestones and defaced some with blue spray-paint.

The incident comes amid an increase in antisemitic incidents in Germany. In May, Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office reported that the number of antisemitic attacks in the country had risen from 1,691 in 2001 to 1,799 in 2018. Most acts of violence were motivated by right-wing sentiments. A small percentage are ascribed to left-wing extremists and Islamic extremists.