A New York man was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with federal hate crimes after he repeatedly assaulted Jewish counterprotesters at anti-Israel protests in New York City between 2024 and 2025, according to an indictment unsealed by the Department of Justice.
Tarek Bazrouk, 20, is facing three counts of committing hate crimes for allegedly targeting and assaulting Jewish people at three NYC protests related to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Bazrouk was arrested after all three instances, but “remained undeterred and quickly returned to using violence to target Jews in New York City,” according to U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York.
The first instance took place on April 15, 2024, when Bazrouk – who the DOJ said was wearing a green headband “typically worn by Hamas terrorists” – allegedly attended a protest outside the New York Stock Exchange in Lower Manhattan.
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He was arrested by the NYPD for lunging at a group of pro-Israel protesters, the DOJ said, and kicked a Jewish college student in the stomach while being taken to a patrol vehicle. The person he kicked was standing near Jewish protesters who were wearing kippahs on their heads, waving Israeli flags and singing Jewish songs.
Bazrouk allegedly assaulted another Jewish student on Dec. 9, 2024, during a protest near a university in Upper Manhattan, the DOJ said. The second victim was with his brother – both were wearing kippahs – and had an Israeli flag draped across his shoulders while singing Jewish songs.
Bazrouk is accused of stealing their flag and running off. The victim and his brother chased him through the crowd to retrieve it, and after they got it back, Bazrouk allegedly snuck up beside the second victim and punched him in the face.
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At the beginning of this year, on Jan. 6, Bazrouk allegedly committed his third assault on a Jewish person at a protest in Manhattan. The third victim had an Israeli flag draped around his shoulders and was wearing a hat with the flag and a chain with a Jewish star.
Bazrouk was wearing a keffiyeh on his face when he allegedly “made contact” with the third victim’s shoulder and wrapped his foot around his ankle. When the victim attempted to push him away, Bazrouk allegedly cursed at him and punched him in the nose.
“As alleged, Tarek Bazrouk deliberately set out to harm Jewish New Yorkers — targeting them at protests, singling them out, and assaulting them for nothing more than their identity,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
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Law enforcement obtained warrants to search a cellphone allegedly used by Bazrouk, which revealed an “antisemitic bias” and “support for anti-Jewish terrorist groups, including Hamas,” the DOJ said, citing court documents.
Bazrouk allegedly identified himself as a “Jew hater” in text messages, called Jewish people “worthless,” and said “Allah” wanted “us [to] rid of [Jews],” among other vulgar statements, according to the documents, which added that he told a friend he was “mad happy” when he found out family members overseas were part of Hamas.
The DOJ described his phone as “littered with pro-Hamas and pro-Hizballah(sic) propaganda.”
If convicted on all three federal hate crime charges, Bazrouk faces a maximum of 30 years in prison – 10 years per count.
The charges against Bazrouk appear to be the first time federal hate crime charges have been filed in connection with the anti-Israel protests that have taken place across American college campuses since Oct. 7, 2023.
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