BREAKING: Leads, But No Arrest In LA Synagogue Shooting

by Stewart Ain and Adam Dickter in New York and Tom Tugend in Los Angeles

A teenager who was detained following the shooting of two men outside a Los Angeles synagogue was released on Thursday and the hunt for the gunman continued.

The police have ruled out terrorism or a hate crime in the incident at Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic Synagogue in North Hollywood, Calif., and have strong leads in the case, the LA Times reported.

Citing law enforcement sources, the Times said cops were looking at a possible business dispute as the motive of the attack, and the possibility that the second man was shot because he witnessed the first shooting. More interviews with the victims are planned, the paper said.

The gunman was described as dark-skinned and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt when he approached the victims in the synagogue’s underground garage around 6:20 a.m.

Apparently without exchanging words, the gunman attempted to shoot the congregant before his gun jammed. As another congregant approached, the suspect fired shots at both of them, hitting Maor Ben-Nissan, 53, and Allen Lasry in the legs. Both victims were rushed to a hospital, where they underwent surgery and were reported in good condition.

Adat Yeshurun is located in an area with a large Orthodox population and numerous kosher stores, the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles reported.

Police arrested a 17-year old African American as a possible suspect but later released him. Detectives are currently studying videos taken by the synagogue’s security cameras.

Later in the day a police bomb squad investigated a suspicious-looking shopping bag at the historic Wilshire Boulevard Temple and cordoned off the building. Police gave an all-clear after a three-hour search.

Los Angeles officials cautioned against any conclusion that the victims, who were both Jewish and on their way to morning prayer services, were the targets of a hate crime.

"We are taking this very seriously and looking at every possible motive," said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at a news conference outside the crime scene. "None of us should prejudge or speculate about this crime. At this point all we know was that it was a random act of violence." He said both victims were "in good condition and speaking to investigators."

Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in LA said that out of "an abundance of caution" area institutions were increasing their security. The LAPD said it would increase patrols in Jewish areas.

At the same time, Paul Goldenberg, national director of the Secure Community Network, issued an alert advising synagogues, community centers, schools and others to "remain vigilant and strengthen security until we know the motives and intentions of the shooter."

Assistant Chief James McDonald said the department was working with the Jewish community to "increase vigilance but not overreact." He said detectives were looking at "robbery related types of crimes" in the area and "running down all leads."

But Rabbi Cooper noted in an interview with CNN that since no words were exchanged and no property stolen "we have to operate under the assumption that it was a hate crime."

A public school near the site, on Sylvan Street and Victory Boulevard, remained locked down as of 9 a.m. local time as police and federal agents searched the area on the ground and in helicopters.

The shooting came the same day the Anti-Defamation League reported that anti-Semitism nationwide had hit an 11-year low, according to a survey, declining from 15 percent in 2007 to 12 percent, matching the figure for 1998, which was the lowest point ever recorded. The highest was 29 percent in 1964.

ADL National Chairman Abe Foxman termed the findings "good news, the product of many years of constant and intense efforts by ADL and other others to make America a more accepting society." But at the same time, he warned, "there continues to be violence targeting Jews and increasing use of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories."

Three months ago a gunman entered the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington and killed a security guard in an exchange of fire. The gunman was a known Holocaust denier and anti-Jewish conspiracy theorist.

"Even as anti-Semitism across the country is going down, violence against Jews is going up," said Goldenberg of SCN, which is a joint project of several major Jewish organizations.

Just over 10 years ago a gunman entered the North Valley Jewish Commmunity Center in Granada Hills and opened fire, injuring five, including three children. Burford Furrow, a white supremacist, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the attack and the later shooting of a postal worker.

In 2002, an Egyptian American gunman shot two Israelis at the El Al ticket counter at Los Angeles International airport before he was killed by security guards.

"Statistics consistently show Jews to be far and away the most frequently targeted religious group, with 74 percent of hate crimes motivated by religion perpetrated against Jews in Los Angeles County," said Amanda Susskind, director of the ADL's Pacific Southwest Region, in a statement.

JTA contributed to this report.

Westchester Jewish Conference

Westchester’s Jewish Community Relations Organization