An indictment has been unsealed in the Southern District of New York, charging Tarek Bazrouk, 20, with three counts of committing hate crimes related to assaults on Jewish victims in New York City between 2024 and 2025. Bazrouk was arrested this morning and will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated, “The Civil Rights Division will continue to relentlessly pursue allegations of antisemitic violence and will not stop until justice is served for the victims and their families.” She added that under Attorney General Pam Bondi's leadership, all available resources would be used to investigate such cases.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton commented, “As alleged, on three separate occasions, Tarek Bazrouk deliberately targeted and assaulted Jewish victims at protests relating to the Israel/Gaza war.” Despite previous arrests after each incident, Bazrouk allegedly continued his actions undeterred.
Court documents reveal that over approximately nine months, Bazrouk physically assaulted three Jewish individuals at protests concerning the Israel/Gaza war. On April 15, 2024, he attended a protest in Lower Manhattan where he was arrested by NYPD officers after lunging at pro-Israel protestors and kicking a Jewish college student in the stomach.
On December 9, 2024, Bazrouk allegedly assaulted another Jewish student near a university campus in upper Manhattan by stealing an Israeli flag and striking him in the face when confronted. On January 6, 2025, he reportedly assaulted a third victim during a protest by wrapping his foot around the victim’s ankle and punching him in the nose.
FBI Assistant Director Christopher G. Raia stated that these alleged hate crimes violated the victims’ First Amendment rights and instilled fear among a broader population: “The FBI won’t tolerate this behavior.”
NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said that Bazrouk set out to harm Jewish New Yorkers based on their identity: “Antisemitism and all forms of bigotry have no home here in New York — period.”
Law enforcement found evidence on Bazrouk’s cellphone showing anti-Semitic bias and support for groups like Hamas through text messages identifying himself as a "Jew hater" and expressing satisfaction over family members' involvement with Hamas.
Bazrouk faces three counts of committing hate crimes with each carrying a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton praised the investigative work of the FBI along with assistance from Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and NYPD.
The prosecution is managed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg and Jim Ligtenberg from the Southern District of New York's Civil Rights Unit within its Criminal Division.
An indictment is merely an allegation; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.
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