'Anti-Christian' vandal seen daubing 'hate crime slogans' across US churches - while draped in Pride flag

An individual, described as an "anti-Christian" vandal, is being sought by the New York Police Department for spray-painting hate crime slogans on three churches in Queens last month. CCTV footage shows the suspect, whose face was covered by a rainbow bandana, writing messages such as "cult" and "anti-gay cult" on the exterior of the buildings and defacing two religious statues. The vandalism occurred in the early hours of October 5, within a 20-minute timeframe. The first incident was at The Refuge Church of Christ around 1:40 am, where "anti-gay cult" was spray-painted. Less than five minutes later, the City of Oasis Church of Deliverance was targeted with the same message. The final incident took place around 2:00 am at St. Mary's Star of the Sea Church, where "welcome cult members" was written, and the two statues were defaced. The suspect reportedly fled the scene on a Citi Bike. Authorities are investigating these acts as hate crimes, and there have been no arrests made to date. The NYPD is urging anyone with information to come forward. This incident occurs amidst a broader trend of hate crimes in New York City, with 496 reported incidents from Ja... download the app to read more