Detroit police investigating the murder of the president of a progressive synagogue in the northern United States said Sunday that during their investigation “no evidence emerged that this crime was motivated by anti-Semitism.”
• Also read: The president of the Detroit synagogue was found stabbed to death
Police in metro Detroit, where 40-year-old Samantha Woll was found stabbed to death on Saturday, are interviewing “individuals with information that could advance the investigation,” their chief, James White, said in a statement.
He gave no details but ruled out anti-Semitic motivation in the killing of Ms. Woll, who is close to an elected Democrat and is president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, which covers the Detroit area.
AFP
Woll’s death came amid growing tensions between Jewish and Muslim communities in the United States, where protests have rocked several cities, including New York, and have sometimes been punctuated by violence fueled by the Middle East war between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas .
According to the Detroit Free Press, Ms. Woll was a member of a local organization aimed at forging connections between young Jews and young Muslims.
AFP
Her body was found outside her home and a trail of blood led investigators to her home “where the crime appears to have been committed,” local police said Saturday.
“Everything that can be done to close this case will be implemented,” James White added on Sunday, specifying that the federal police are assisting the Detroit police in the investigation.
Ms. Woll has led the synagogue since 2022, worked for Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and worked for the re-election campaign of Michigan attorney Dana Nessel, a Democrat like herself.