Who is Loay Alnaji? Pro-Palestinian professor questioned in relation to Israeli activist Paul Kessler’s death
MOORPARK, CALIFORNIA: Loay Alnaji, a computer science professor at Ventura Community College in California, was reportedly questioned at the scene of Paul Kessler’s death.
The 69-year-old Jewish man died less than 24 hours after suffering a fatal head injury during dueling Israel-Hamas war protests in Thousand Oaks on Sunday, November 05.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff stated that Kessler’s death is being investigated as a homicide and that they have heard "conflicting statements" from the two opposing parties over what caused Kessler to fall.
Fryhoff added that they are investigating a suspect who has only been named as a 50-year-old Moorpark man.
The New York Post reported that after the sheriff's statements, 50-year-old Alnaji was observed conversing with a female officer who was recorded taking a photo of his hands.
In the video, the deputy asks Alnaji, "So you tried to hit the phone," to which he nods affirmatively. Alnaji was questioned at the scene, but it's uncertain if he is the same person under investigation as the police have not provided a name.
However, according to Daily Mail, the professor has been identified as a person of interest, and law enforcement officials conducted a raid at his residence on a tranquil cul-de-sac in Moorpark, California, on Sunday.
Neighbor Milli Revezzo recounted, "My husband was returning from Costco when he witnessed a SWAT team, six cops armed with rifles and full gear. Their vehicles were not police cars; they were unmarked."
Loay Alnaji raised his voice to support Palestine
Records obtained by Daily Mail show that Alnaji came to the United States in the 1990s after working as a teacher in the United Arab Emirates.
In 2007, he purchased a contemporary three-bedroom house in Moorpark, California, 13 miles from the scene of Kessler's murder.
A few years later, he married Palestinian economics professor Nada Al Hammouri, with whom he shares three young children.
Alnaji received his PhD in business administration from Argosy University, which shut down in 2019 following allegations of financial mismanagement and fraud.
He has shared several Arabic messages on his Facebook page expressing support for the Palestinian cause. In his latest post, he wrote, “O Allah, release the captivity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque... Sooner than later........Oh Allah, don't deprive us of praying in it before we die...”
He expressed strong backing for the Palestinian cause by posting a video featuring activist Shahid King Bolsen, who drew parallels between Hamas and historical civil rights icons.
In the video shared on Instagram, Bolsen remarked, "If someone asked me to condemn Hamas, I would say, what's the rush? Let's let history decide."
How did Paul Kessler die?
Kessler passed away on Monday, November 6, a day after he fell backward and hit his head during a clash amid pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian street protests in California.
Witnesses disclosed that the Jewish man "was involved in a physical altercation with counter-protestor(s)," as stated by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.
In a statement, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department reported, "The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that the cause of death was blunt force head injury, and the manner of death was ruled as homicide."
Some reports have also indicated that Kessler might have been hit with a megaphone during a confrontation with a pro-Palestine protester.