Kevin Charles Pyles, a 33-year-old Glendale, Ariz., man who beforehand pleaded responsible in state courtroom to creating terrorism-related threats focusing on the Jewish neighborhood, has now been federally charged with a hate crime for allegedly defacing a Phoenix synagogue.
A federal grand jury in Phoenix on Tuesday indicted Pyles on one rely of intentional defacement of spiritual property, alleging that he posted an antisemitic flier on the entrance door of Sha’arei Shalom Congregation, an Orthodox synagogue in north Phoenix, on July 11, 2025.
Pyles beforehand pleaded responsible in Maricopa County Superior Court docket to tried making and speaking a terrorism menace stemming from on-line threats directed on the Jewish neighborhood and Sha’arei Shalom, based on the US Legal professional’s Workplace for the District of Arizona.
In response to beforehand unsealed federal courtroom filings, the FBI opened an investigation after receiving a tip on Aug. 11, 2025, about an X account allegedly posting violent antisemitic threats.
Among the many posts cited in courtroom information have been: “4th Reich is right here Jews! I received my MP40,” which Pyles later informed investigators “was to scare Israel,” and, “I’m Hitler. Begin (hearth emoji) down synagogues and BlackRock monetary buildings. Simply look them up and take them out when you’re close to one. I’d do it. It’s well worth the jail time for me.”
He equally informed authorities the latter submit was supposed as a “scare tactic in direction of Israel.”
In different posts, he allegedly wrote, “Begin attacking synagogues. I’m planning on it,” and “Put propane cans by the synagogues and hit them far with a rifle. It’s time to strike the Jews.”
Court docket filings additionally describe an Aug. 10, 2025, video posted to the account with the caption, “F–ok Israel. F–ok something Jewish. I’m shopping for Jewish stuff and smashing it as a passion now.”
Investigators mentioned the video appeared to indicate a white male within the driver’s seat of a automobile parked close to the driveway of the Sha’arei Shalom.
“The person, seeing the synagogue’s digicam, displayed a ingesting glass to the digicam that had the phrase ‘Passover’ on it,” the courtroom submitting acknowledged, including that he appeared to throw the glass onto the driveway and mentioned “F–ok the Jews” earlier than driving away.
The FBI mentioned synagogue surveillance footage additionally captured Pyles putting an antisemitic flier on the synagogue’s entrance door on July 11, 2025.
The flier attacked the Jewish follow of circumcision, stating, “Don’t hate the fliers, hate the newborn penises vampires.”
In response to the FBI, a synagogue board member mentioned that congregants started attending providers much less ceaselessly following the flier and the glass-throwing incident in August.
If convicted, Pyles faces as much as one 12 months in jail, a $100,000 wonderful or each.
