The man and his wife who were victims of a chemical attack on the northwest side said Monday that this was the second time they had been targeted.
Myles and Karen Levine said the attack is similar to one that occurred at their former home in Marana, which included anti-Semitic slurs spray-painted on their walls.
"I do believe they are connected now, because they are so similar, with the graffiti on the doors and garage, and these dead animals they are bringing in," Karen Levine said.
Sunday's incident was initially described by a Pima County sheriff's official as a hate crime. The Levines are Jewish.
However, the FBI, which is now handling the investigation, has not determined how it will classify the attack, an official said Monday.
The scene from Sunday's incident, as described by investigators, included derogatory graffiti written in Spanish; dead animals — a rabbit, a squirrel and birds; an incendiary device; and chlorine tablets covered in an unknown liquid that created a large toxic-gas cloud.
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Also, the home's front door and garage door were sealed shut from the outside with a spray-foam sealer in an apparent attempt to keep the couple from leaving, officials said.
There were no anti-Semitic writings on the walls in Sunday's incident.
The prior incident occurred on Oct. 31, 2008. Their home was spray-painted with anti-Semitic slurs and other vulgar language, and the driveway was covered with motor oil, paint and grease. Several dead animals were left outside, including a coyote near the front door, a Marana Police Department report states.
The couple told police that they were in a dispute with a contractor over payment for work that had performed at their house, the report said.
"When they asked us who we thought could possibly have done it, we told them there was only one," Myles Levine said about what he told officers in the first incident.
On Monday evening, they wouldn't discuss who they thought may have carried out Sunday's attack.
The possibility of Sunday's incident being a hate crime is being considered based on the scene, but the bureau must look at all options, Manuel Johnson, an FBI spokesman, said Monday.
"In general, a hate crime is an offense against a person or property that is motivated by an offender's bias against race, religion, disability or ethnic origin," Johnson said. "Hate, in our country, is not a crime, but there is a pretty fine line."
The Levines and their dog escaped out their back door, where they hopped a fence to get away from the gas cloud that had formed from the chemicals in their backyard.
"When I smelled it, it made me lightheaded, and I could not swallow," Karen Levine said.
The two were taken to a hospital as a precaution.
The couple have lived in the home in the 2800 block of West Magee Road, near North Shannon Road, for about eight months. The Sheriff's Department would not say whether it had been called to the home in the past.
Karen Levine said she believes someone is trying to hurt her and her husband.
"Somebody is finding us, and they are trying to kill us," Levine said. "They really want to do some bodily injury to us with these gases — I don't know why."
The couple said they have no plans of leaving and that they will not allow the attack to run them from the area.
"I'm not that easily scared," Myles Levine said. "I don't like the whole idea, but I am not going to run away."
The neighborhood, which has a guarded entry, is next to the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort.
"In general, a hate crime is an offense against a person or property that is motivated by an offender's bias against race, religion, disability or ethnic origin"
Manuel Johnson, FBI spokesman
