The first bullets struck the radio station located on the south end of the 15-acre property of the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah. A week later, over the course of two days, more bullets hit the temple itself, damaging its carved decorative arches and shattering a window in the worship room.
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office found 20 to 30 shell casings believed to be from the attacks, according to Vai Warden, the temple’s president and co-founder, who spoke to the Deseret News.
“Most of us are in shock,” Warden said. The Krishna Temple, a popular destination, is especially known for hosting the Holi Festival, the annual Festival of Colors.
On June 18, she heard a loud bang and saw smoke coming from the top of the radio station. She thought maybe teenagers were causing trouble. Only after discovering the damage and finding shell casings did she grasp the severity of the situation.
To Warden, the attack, the first of its kind on the temple, was something more serious than vandalism.
“Vandalism is when you go and spray paint something,” she said. “This is real damage — this is hate motivated, it’s downright offensive aggression.”
Justice Department to prosecute hate crimes
In recent years, attacks on houses of worship and their communities have been on the rise. Last week, two church buildings in Alabama were broken into and extensively vandalized over a two-day period. In May, a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sustained thousands of dollars in damage following what police in Provo believe was an act of vandalism.
Antisemitic crimes and attacks on other religious communities have also been increasing locally and nationwide. Two Israeli embassy staffers were killed by a gunman in Washington, D.C. In Boulder, Colorado, a man threw molotov cocktails at a group advocating for the release of Israeli hostages, injuring 12 people in what authorities say was a premeditated hate crime targeting Jews. One of the victims, an 82-year-old woman, later died from her injuries.
Since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the Kol Ami synagogue in Salt Lake City received multiple bomb threats and harassment messages.
The attacks on people tied to religious houses of worship of all traditions have soared by almost a 100% between 2021 and 2023, according to CBS News, which has reviewed FBI crime reports.
The U.S. Department of Justice is taking notice — and action. In June, the department’s prosecutors gave a Virginia man a 25-year sentence, claiming he had attempted to carry out a mass shooting at a local church in 2023. An Arizona man was convicted of targeting four Christian churches across Arizona, California and Colorado, CBS reported.
“Hate crimes driven by bias against national origin or any other protected characteristic including religion are a direct assault on the principles of equality and justice that define our nation,” according to a statement from Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights, to the Deseret News. “The Civil Rights Division is committed to vigorously prosecuting such acts of violence to secure a just outcome.”
Rise of antisemitism
Since the Hamas attack on Israel, Rabbi Sam Spector of the Kol Ami synagogue in Salt Lake City has faced growing concerns about how to protect his congregation.
To increase security, the synagogue has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in upgraded surveillance systems and physical barriers, including a large wall to ensure privacy and deter intruders, Spector said.
The synagogue works with the Salt Lake City Police Department.
“It’s not uncommon to see officers at the synagogue, too,” Spector told the Deseret News. “I think it’s been a strong deterrent.”
Spector has been witnessing the rise of antisemitism since 2015, since it’s gotten worse recently. Antisemitic incidents have soared by 360% since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s 2024 report. In 2024, the organization recorded over 9,000 antisemitic acts of assaults, harassment and vandalism.
Religious assaults have been on the rise outside of the United States, too. The surge of anti-Christian hate crimes has been reported in the United Kingdom, France and Germany, Church Times reported.
“Graffiti and vandalism against places of worship, the desecration of cemeteries, and arson attacks against churches are some of the more common types of crimes motivated by bias against Christians,” the human-rights office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) told the outlet.
Back in Utah, Spector said Kol Ami had received support from Christian, Muslim and other faith communities.
“Some have sent us $10 to help with our security costs and other people have sent $10,000,” he said. “And that’s been extremely helpful for us in helping to keep people safe.”
‘It’s a sanctuary, it’s a very sacred place’
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the shooting at the Krishna Temple. Deputies have increased patrols and are reviewing security footage.
“I don’t think anyone would come again at this point because there’s so much surveillance,” Warden said.
Since the attacks, Warden has fielded inquiries from reporters around the world and even received a call from the Consulate General of India.
“It’s headline news in all the newspapers in India,” Warden said.
Repair costs are expected to run into the thousands, though the total damage remains unclear. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has expressed support for the temple, Warden said.
At the Kol Ami synagogue, the security measures have proven effective, Spector said. He noted that someone who had planned to commit a crime admitted online that the synagogue’s heightened security deterred him. The investments have been worth it, Spector added.
“They have made our congregants feel safe,” he said. “We have actually seen bad guys admit that they have been deterred as a result of those.”
The DOJ’s priority, according to Dhillon, is to make houses of worship less vulnerable.
“We want to shut that threat down by making sure that no one is feeling like churches, houses of worship, people of faith are soft targets in the United States,” Dhillon said, per CBS.
Spector welcomed the Department of Justice’s efforts to prosecute hate crimes as a way to address “the epidemic of antisemitism that’s plaguing our country and the world.” At the same time, he underscored the importance of preserving First Amendment rights.
“I hope the DOJ can strike a balance between prosecuting antisemitic hate crimes and preserving individuals’ freedom of speech,” he said. “It’s a delicate balance.”
In the aftermath of the Krishna Temple attacks, Warden has refused to cower. “We’re not gonna be knuckled down or hiding,” she said.
“We’re being tough and resilient and we’re getting a lot of help from our members.” The temple remains open and will only be closed at night. She continued: “It’s a sanctuary, it’s a very sacred place.”