New York brothers charged with hate crimes after allegedly stealing, burning Israeli flag
Both brothers were charged with hate crimes related to theft and criminal damage, as well as destroying evidence.
Two brothers from Hornell, New York, Cormac Thomas Banco, 28, and Declan Peter Banco, 31, have been arrested and charged with hate crimes after allegedly stealing and burning an Israeli flag. The incident occurred on Saturday at around 7:32 a.m., following an investigation into the theft of the flag from a flagpole outside a business on Park Drive.
The brothers allegedly took the flag to their home, where it was burned. Cormac Banco was additionally charged with resisting arrest. The two suspects were taken to the Steuben County Jail and booked later that evening. Hornell, once a significant railroad hub, is a small city in western New York with a population of approximately 8,000.
The city once had a small Jewish community, with the Orthodox Beth El Synagogue established in 1946, which later closed. In 2022, neo-Nazis targeted the former synagogue, distributing propaganda materials, including swastikas, at the site and two local churches.
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