More than seven months after a firebomb attack on a Hillel staffer's home shocked the Brown community, law enforcement officials say the investigation is at a standstill.
"The perpetrators have never been caught," said Special Agent Maureen Robinson of the FBI's Boston office, "and the motivation for the crime was never determined."
The attack occurred early on a Saturday morning last March, when two Molotov cocktails - glass bottles filled with gasoline and rags - were thrown at the off-campus residence of Yossi Knafo, the Jewish Agency emissary to Brown/RISD Hillel and an Israeli national. According a Providence Police Department incident report, the first bottle exploded on the outside of the house, lighting the siding on fire. The second bottle was thrown through Knafo's bedroom window on the second floor but did not explode.
The investigation was initially conducted jointly by state and local police, DPS and the FBI, Robinson said.
Both PPD and DPS officials declined to comment on the investigation. A police report provided to The Herald by PPD had not been updated since March.
Three teenagers were arrested a few days after the incident for throwing similar explosives outside a former synagogue elsewhere in Providence, The Herald reported in March, but law enforcement officials said the two incidents seemed to be unrelated.
Robinson said that Knafo's case was first investigated as a potential hate crime, and the case is still open. "At the outset, there was some indication that the origination for the criminal act was either in whole or in part based on Mr. Knafo's nationality," she said.
In the weeks following the attack, meetings were held on campus for students to discuss any concerns about the incident and the possibility that it was a hate crime. "It was certainly a significant event because it was very scary," said Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services. "I think it led to some very meaningful discussions among students, faculty and staff."
Temporary security measures were undertaken after the attack, including stationing an armed Department Public Safety officer outside Hillel. Security has now loosened with no changes in how Brown operates, Klawunn said.
Knafo said he feels "very safe" on campus and is "just trying to move on." He added, "I'm fine and I'm having a great time at Brown."
"As far as the investigation, I don't know what's left to be done," said Robinson. "With hate crimes, sometimes things come up down the road."
