Federal authorities have unsealed an indictment charging Tarek Bazrouk, 20, of New York City, with three counts of federal hate crimes after a spree of violent antisemitic assaults at Israel/Gaza-related protests across Manhattan between 2024 and 2025. Bazrouk, arrested Wednesday morning, is accused of deliberately targeting Jewish victims, many visibly Jewish or carrying Israeli flags, at rallies outside the New York Stock Exchange, Columbia University, and near Union Square.
According to prosecutors, Bazrouk’s crimes were not isolated incidents but a pattern of hate:
- On April 15, 2024, Bazrouk, wearing a green Hamas-style headband, attacked a Jewish college student outside the NYSE, kicking him in the stomach as he stood among pro-Israel demonstrators singing Jewish songs.
- On December 9, 2024, at a Columbia University protest, Bazrouk stole an Israeli flag from a Jewish student, then punched the student in the face while hurling antisemitic slurs and invoking Nazi rhetoric.
- On January 6, 2025, at another Manhattan rally, Bazrouk, his face covered with a keffiyeh, punched a visibly Jewish protester wearing Israeli symbols, after attempting to trip him.
Despite being arrested after each attack, Bazrouk “remained undeterred and quickly returned to using violence to target Jews in New York City,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “This Office is dedicated to seeking justice for victims of hate crimes and will aggressively prosecute those who spread bigotry and discrimination through violence.”
A search of Bazrouk’s phone revealed a torrent of antisemitic messages, open support for Hamas and Hezbollah, and self-identification as a “Jew hater.” He called Jews “worthless,” urged violence against Jewish women, and celebrated relatives’ ties to Hamas. Prosecutors also recovered Hamas propaganda, weapons, and large sums of cash from his home.
FBI New York Director Christopher Raia stated, “These alleged hate crimes not only violated the victims’ ability to exercise their First Amendment rights, but also intimidated and sparked fear among a broader population. The FBI won’t tolerate this behavior and will apprehend any individual who commits a federal crime seeking to harm others for their religious beliefs.”
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch added, “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. Antisemitism and all forms of bigotry have no home here in New York-period.”
Bazrouk faces up to 10 years in prison for each count if convicted. The case is being prosecuted by the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Authorities stress that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
This indictment sends a powerful message: the U.S. Department of Justice, FBI, and NYPD are united in their resolve to confront antisemitic violence and protect the rights and safety of Jewish Americans, especially as hate surges on America’s streets.