It’s surprising that these people are just being charged now, considering this attack happened about two years ago, but better late than never.
According to reports, the student was attacked for merely wearing a Star of David. It’s another horrific example of the antisemitism that has become so widespread and normalized in recent years.
CBS News reports:
6 indicted on hate crime charges for attack on Jewish student in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhoodSix people were indicted on hate crime charges after an antisemitic attack on a Jewish University of Pittsburgh student in 2024, federal prosecutors announced on Monday.The seven-count indictment names Muhammed Koc, Omar Alshmari, Abraham Choudhry, Emirhan Arslan, Ali Alkhaleel and Adeel Piracha as defendants. A federal grand jury charged them with violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, obstructing justice and conspiring to obstruct justice, U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti said.According to the indictment, at 2 a.m. on Sept. 27, 2024, the group, excluding Piracha, made “virulent antisemitic statements” to a passerby in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood after they saw his Star of David pendant. Authorities said Koc and Alshmari attacked the victim, causing a split lip and headaches.Prosecutors said Piracha and the other defendants talked about the attack on social media messaging and group texts, with Alshmari and Koc identifying themselves as two of the people described in a crime alert posted by the University of Pittsburgh Police Department.The group is also accused of agreeing to lie about their story, giving fake and misleading testimony to the grand jury. The attorney’s office said several defendants lied about whether they had hit the victim, whether it was related to the victim’s Jewish identity and whether they had coordinated their stories before testifying.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Pennsylvania, put out this press release:
Six Pittsburgh-Area Defendants Charged with Hate Crime and Obstruction of Justice for Late-Night Antisemitic Attack on Jewish MaleA federal grand jury in Pittsburgh has charged six residents of the greater Pittsburgh area with violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, obstructing justice, and conspiring to obstruct justice in relation to a September 2024 attack on a Jewish male in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.The seven-count Indictment named Muhammed Koc, 27, of Pittsburgh; Omar Alshmari, 28, of Monroeville; Abraham Choudhry, 22, of Monroeville; Emirhan Arslan, 24, of McKees Rocks; Ali Alkhaleel, 19, of Pittsburgh; and Adeel Piracha, 22, of Murrysville, as defendants.“We will prosecute this alleged act of violent antisemitism to the fullest extent of the law,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice will always protect the First Amendment right to worship freely and without fear for Jewish Americans and all Americans of faith.”“As alleged in the Indictment, this incident began with two defendants physically attacking an individual because of the victim’s Jewish identity,” said United States Attorney Rivetti. “Then, these defendants corruptly colluded with one another to provide false and misleading testimony before a federal grand jury tasked with investigating the assault. Obstruction is illegal and undermines the pursuit of justice; it will not be tolerated within our legal system, particularly when defendants testify falsely in an effort to protect individuals who commit hate crimes and acts of violence.”
See a local video report below:
Featured image via YouTube.
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