Police detain Mehwish Omer for alleged assault on Jewish Individual amid confrontation over removal of Israeli hostage posters in NYC
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Mehwish Omer, along with her alleged accomplice, has been arrested for reportedly assaulting a Jewish individual in New York City.
According to authorities, the incident transpired when the victim confronted the two individuals for removing posters depicting Israeli hostages in the Upper West Side. These hostages were taken by Hamas during the attack on October 7.
Charges of hate crimes leveled against both suspects in assault on Jewish individual in NYC
Mehwish surrendered on Monday, November 27, a week following the arrest of Stephanie Gonzalez, 25, who now faces charges of hate crime assault and attempted robbery, according to the police.
The individual in question is confronting charges of assault and criminal mischief, both classified as hate crimes, in connection to the incident that occurred around 10 pm on November 9 at the intersection of Riverside Drive and West 82nd Street, as per authorities.
The 41-year-old woman was purportedly assaulted by the two individuals, during which her Star of David necklace was torn off, and her cellphone was forcibly thrown from her hand, according to NYP.
Her sole offense was reportedly challenging them for removing "Missing Persons" posters from a light pole at the intersection, according to the police.
The victim was reportedly recording the incident on her cellphone and is said to have exchanged words with the two women currently in custody, as shared.
The victim reportedly suffered minor injuries to her face and neck, and her phone was damaged in the incident, according to authorities. The NYPD stated that both women involved had clean police records.
Mayor Eric Adams commented on the alleged attack
Numerous individuals with antisemitic motives have been reported tearing down or destroying hostage posters that were displayed across the five boroughs since Hamas' unexpected attack on the Jewish state on October 7.
Mayor Eric Adams responded to the incident, labeling it a "deeply misguided act of disrespect to victims of terrorism."
“As we see the fallout from this violence spill over into New York City, we must reiterate that hate has absolutely no place here,” he said.
In an unrelated incident, it was reported that Victoria Ruiz, a public defender in New York City, was captured removing a poster displaying a kidnapped victim of Hamas' violent assault, as per MEAWW..
The New York County Defender Services opted to retain her after conducting an internal review of the incident.
"It has come to our attention that one of our attorneys, Victoria Ruiz, recently attended a public vigil solely as a private citizen," stated Lupe Todd-Medina, a spokesperson for New York County Defender Services.
“Some of her actions at the event have drawn sharp criticism and we strongly condemn them as highly insensitive,” she added.