Autistic Jewish Teen Tortured, Swastika Carved Onto Back In US

A teenager with autism came back home from his school with a swastika carved onto his back, according to a report by New York Post. The 17-year-old Jewish boy, who is nonverbal and wears a kippah was bullied at Clark High School in Las Vegas. He was accompanied by a service dog and a full-time assistant.

The teen's mother soon alerted authorities on March 9 with the hate symbol carved on his back. The mother who requested anonymity said that the service dog's equipment bag was also damaged. The FBI is now investigating the unsolved case.

The mother said that she had notified that school about the mishappening and the school responded that "nothing had happened" there.

She also reached out to her son's assistant and asked if they had been apart at all during the day. She asked the assistant, "Did he use the bathroom? Did he have any meltdowns yesterday? I would think this would have caused him to have a meltdown or get agitated."

The school doesn't have surveillance cameras in classrooms, locker rooms and bathrooms.

The mother told COLlive.com, "My son is the only student I know who wears a Kippah at school."

"We are aware of the incident and are in regular contact with local authorities," the FBI said in a statement. "If during the local investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal civil rights violation, the FBI is prepared to investigate."

The anti-Semitic assault has triggered outrage from the Israeli-American Council.

"The Israeli-American Council was appalled to learn that a Jewish teen may have been targeted in such an inhumane anti-Semitic attack," the council's co-founder and CEO, Shoham Nicolet, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "We urge authorities to investigate this incident to the fullest."

Clark County School District in a statement said, "We will not tolerate discriminatory behaviour that contradicts an inclusive community and impacts student safety and well-being. If anyone has any additional information related to this case, we urge them to contact school police immediately."