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Teen accused of painting swastikas at Stanford student residences

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Police arrested a 19-year-old man accused of spray-painting hate-fueled graffiti, including swastikas, at Stanford University student housing units.

Lucas Joseph Ninow was arrested Wednesday in Mountain View on a warrant for one count of felony vandalism, one count of misdemeanor vandalism and one misdemeanor hate crime count, according to Stanford police and the Santa Clara district attorney’s office.

Ninow is not a Stanford student and declined to talk to police, authorities said.

In a statement, police said they “are unable to speculate on a motive for the act.”

Spray-painted swastikas and anarchy symbols were found April 26 at the Robert S. Moore, or BOB, house for students transitioning out of dorm life, the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house and Casa Italiana, an Italian-language and culture-focused academic house, according to the university.

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Stanford President John Hennessy previously condemned the vandalism as incivility that “has no place at Stanford.”

“I ask everyone in the university community to stand together against intolerance and hate, and to affirm our commitment to a campus community where discourse is civil, where we value differences, and where every individual is respected,” he said.

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