Three people have been arrested on 115 charges each of aggravated harassment after leaving pamphlets with hate symbols at several locations in Hornell, New York, including a synagogue and a Black church.
Aubrey Dragonetti, 31, Dylan Henry, 30, and Ryan Mulhollen, 27, have all been charged with the crimes, the Hornell Police Department said on Monday.
According to the US Census Bureau, Hornell, located in western upstate New York, had just over 8,000 residents as of July last year.
Police investigated the distribution of the pamphlets on 9 and 10 July. Stickers with swastikas and racial slurs had also been left at houses of worship as well as public and private buildings in the city, according to officials.
At Rehoboth Deliverance Ministries, which has a mostly Black congregation, a leaflet was found with the words “Aryan National Army” on it. Similar literature was found at the Temple Beth-El Synagogue, according to the local paper The Evening Tribune.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, Aryan Nations “is one of the country’s best-known enclaves of anti-Semitism and white nationalism”.
The three suspects were arrested at an address on River Street in Hornell after a warrant was issued in coordination with New York State Police, NBC News reported.
“During the search evidence was located which depicted the crimes of Aggravated Harassment 1st, a Class E Felony,” the police department said.
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