Four suspects in a break-in at the Watt Samakki Dhammikaram Buddhist temple in Brooklyn may be connected to similar incidents in upstate New York and Virginia.
The New York Daily News reports the masked suspects carrying a large screwdriver kicked in the door at the back of the temple before being scared off by a monk who threatened them with a spare shelf bracket.
Virginia authorities alerted the NYPD that they arrested two men in a similar incident and ABC7 News reports at least one of those suspects is linked to the hit in Brooklyn.
According to NBC New York, the suspects in Brooklyn ransacked the temple while monks were locked in a room. Police say the men made off with a small amount of cash from a donation box and a cellphone.
“From working with our partners out of state, we find out that there are similar incidents in Virginia and in upstate New York, where it’s the same [motive], so we believe that Romanian nationals are involved,” Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
AsAmNews has reported on burglaries at Buddhist temples across the country and some in the Buddhist community have suspected they’ve been connected. This is the first time authorities have openly discussed that theory.
“They’re all targeting Buddhist temples,” Kenny said. A temple in Kansas was also targeted.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
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