New York, Feb 27 (IANS): The US Police has said that over 100 headstones were vandalised at a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia, local media reported.

This came less than a week after similar vandalism was reported in Missouri, Xinhua news agency said.

The act of deliberate destruction came to light after a man visiting the cemetery called police on Sunday morning to report that three of his relatives' headstones were knocked over and damaged.

Officers found that about 100 other headstones were also knocked over, apparently sometime on Saturday night.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia lists Mount Carmel of containing tombstones dating back to at least the mid-1800s.

A criminal mischief/institutional vandalism investigation was opened, the police said.

Less than a week ago, nearly 200 headstones were damaged and toppled in the Chesed Shel Emeth Society cemetery in the St Louis suburb of University City in Missouri.

This year alone, 54 Jewish community centres in 27 states received dozens of bomb threats, according to the Jewish Community Centre Association.

The White House has denounced the spate of threats made against the community around the country.