SPOKANE, WA. (NBC News) — A 44-year-old naked man has been arrested after vandalizing a Washington state temple with a ceremonial sword.
Jeffrey C. Pittman broke into the Sikh Temple of Spokane Thursday morning because he “was cold and hungry” Deputy Mark Gregory of the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office told NBC News.
“Once inside, he became aware of what he thought could have been ISIS or Taliban items and began his destruction,” Gregory said. “Intoxication/impairment are possible factors.”
He said they do not believe the temple was targeted in the attack.
The damage to the property was estimated to be at $30,000, with some items considered irreplaceable. Pittman was arrested on charges of burglary, malicious mischief and malicious harassment, which is commonly referred to as a hate crime charge.
Since the vandalism, community leaders have gathered in support for the Sikh community, to condemn religious hate or intolerance and to promote freedom of religion.
“No house of worship in America should ever be desecrated,” Sikh Temple of Spokane spokesperson Subarna Nagra said in a statement. “While Sikhism is a distinctly different religion from Islam, we stand with our Muslim, Jewish and Christian neighbors in denouncing this act of hatred.”
At a young age I began going to the Gurdwara, better known as the Sikh temple of Spokane, a place of worship where everyone is welcome regardless of race, gender, or religious views. Early before sunrise my mom went to Gurdwara, not expecting to see what she would find next: a completely vandalized and ransacked area. Bathrooms completely destroyed, and the worship room demolished. Something she had never felt before at the temple rushed to her veins, the feeling of fear. She quickly called other members of the Sikh community. When a brave Sikh entered the house of worship, he saw shadow of a man. He quickly followed the shadow to find a man completely naked holding two symbolic swords ready to attack the Sikhs. Luckily, by then others had arrived and helped tackle the culprit and hold him down until the cops arrived. It was terrifying to see our Guru Granth Sahib Ji torn and a room that was built with such hard work and dedication completely destroyed and disrespected. However, it was beautiful to see how our small community dealt with this issue. Even after this whole ordeal and the culprit was handcuffed, the Sikh community offered the man Lungar and warm tea. When it was easier to hate, we chose love. What hurts the most is not the materialistic things as those could be replaced, it’s the fact that someone would hurt our living Guru and strip us of our safety. Today I ask not for anyone’s sympathy, but I ask that everyone educate one another. Where hate is so common, let’s show that love is stronger. I am proud to be a Sikh where love, forgiveness, and equality comes first.Posted by Raman Nagra on Thursday, March 3, 2016
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