United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, announced that Saadah Masoud plead guilty to federal hate crimes against three Jews in three separate attacks.
"Saadah Masoud deliberately targeted three victims because of their religion and nation of origin," Williams said in a statement. "There is no place in this country for this offensive and hateful conduct. This Office is dedicated to seeking justice for victims of hate crimes and will aggressively prosecute those who spread hate by criminal means."
Breaking - Palestinian radical Saadah Masoud pleads GUILTY to federal hate crime charges after assaulting 3 Jews in separate incidents from 2021 - 2022, faces 5 years in prison! pic.twitter.com/qdq4gS5slD
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) November 23, 2022
According to the indictment, Masoud had admitted to committing the following hate crimes against the Jewish people. On April 2022, Masoud assaulted a Jew who was wearing an Israeli flag in Manhattan. In June 2021, he and a partner assaulted a Jewish man wearing traditional clothes while he was sitting outside of his own home in Brooklyn. In May 2021, Masoud assaulted a man wearing a Star of David necklace in Manhattan.
"There is no place in this country for this offensive and hateful conduct.
US Attorney for the Souther District of New York, Damian Williams
In April 2022, Masoud allegedly threw Matt Greenman to the ground and punched and kicked him in the face, all because he was wearing an Israeli flag as a cape at a New York City anti-Israeli rally, as previously reported by the Jerusalem Post.
"I went to the emergency room, was told I have a mild concussion, possible fracture above the eye but the swelling was too much to see through with the CAT scan to confirm," Greenman told The Post previously. "Something was uneven though, which is a sign of potential fracture. My face is all banged up. I've got scrapes on my elbow, knees, and neck and a bruise on my arm, along with the face and head trauma."
Williams has praised the New York City Police Department's (NYPD) Hate Crime Task Force and the Special Agents of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
Rising antisemitism
There has been an increase in antisemitism in the US with New York having the most antisemitic attacks reported.
More recently, the NYPD had arrested two armed suspects carrying a large hunting knife, a Glock 17 firearm and a 30-round magazine, for plotting to attack a Jewish community.
In early November, a video was shared by a gang showing them approaching an orthodox Jew from begin, knocking his hat off and then running away.
"Yet another antisemitic attack on an innocent visibly Jewish person," nonprofit Shmira Public Safety tweeted. "A group of four assaulted the man while knocking his hate off. Our members successfully apprehended the group after a brief foot pursuit."
A few days before that attack, a Jewish man was punched by a woman. "This evening, we responded to a call for an assault where a female punched a Jewish male with both fists to the chest," the Crown Heights Shomrim wrote on their Twitter. "Upon arrival, we de-escalated the situation until NYPD responded and transported her to a local hospital via EMS."
Michael Starr contributed to this report