Pittsburgh man arrested for having explosive material, defacing synagogue

A Pittsburgh man was arrested on Thursday for being in possession of explosive materials and for being responsible for graffiti spray-painted on a Squirrel Hill neighborhood synagogue, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh said on Friday.

William Murray, 33, is facing 34 charges for possession of “explosive or incendiary materials, causing or risking catastrophe, and multiple counts of making or possessing prohibited weapons,” according to the Federation.

The suspect had been set to appear in court on May 14 after he had been charged with ethnic intimidation, institutional vandalism, and criminal mischief for inscribing a hate symbol on the Shaare Torah Synagogue on April 8, but according to the Jewish organization, he had failed to attend the hearing.

Pittsburgh's antisemitism surge

The synagogue reported to the Pittsburgh police that Murray inscribed what was initially thought to be a Star of David. But police later said that “upon further examination and additional photographs, it closely resembled a hate symbol used by the KKK [Ku Klux Klan]” instead.

The Federation said that they did not believe Murray “poses a threat to [the] community,” at this time.

“We remain in a heightened threat environment and are working closely with law enforcement to monitor potential threat activity,” said the Federation.

The greater Pittsburgh area is suffering an uptick in antisemitic graffiti, according to the Federation. It logged 128 incidents in 2024, while during the same period in 2023, there were only 44 incidents reported.