Another suspect nabbed in 2021 NYC anti-Semitic assault

Metro

By Joe Marino and Amanda Woods

February 10, 2023 | 4:54pm

A different suspect has been arrested in link to the caught-on-digicam beating of a Jewish guy all through a rally in close proximity to Moments Square just about two many years in the past, prosecutors stated. 

Mohammed Claimed Othman, 28, was arrested Thursday early morning and later on arraigned on an indictment in connection to the May 20, 2021 attack on Joseph Borgen – who was knocked to the floor, punched, kicked, pepper-sprayed, struck with crutches and assailed with anti-Semitic statements on Broadway near West 49th Road.

He was charged with first-degree gang assault and 3rd-diploma assault as a dislike crime, in accordance to the indictment. 

Throughout the arraignment, Judge Juan Merchan established bail at $75,000 funds.

Prosecutors had asked for a greater bail – $200,000 cash – and for Explained Othman to surrender his passport. 

He will upcoming seem in court on March 9. 

An additional gentleman named Mohammed Othman – Claimed Othman’s younger brother – was formerly arrested in relationship to the attack, law enforcement resources claimed. 

Waseem Awawdeh, Mahmoud Musa, Faisal Elezzi, had been also charged in the criminal offense.

At his arraignment, prosecutors mentioned Awawdeh told jailers he experienced no regrets.

“If I could do it all over again, I would do it once more,” he reported. “I have no dilemma accomplishing it again.”

Nevertheless, the Manhattan DA’s business granted Awawdeh a cushy 6-month plea deal supply.

That would be a slap on the wrist in contrast to the up to 7 yrs he would confront if convicted of the costs, including attempted assault as a dislike crime, at trial.

A spokesperson for Bragg’s office previously defended the offer, professing Awawdeh did not initiate the attack but alternatively was the sixth human being to be a part of and still left in advance of it was over.

The spokesperson pointed out that Awawdeh is charged with beating the sufferer with his crutch, but that he did not pepper-spray, punch or kick Borgen and that he has no prior convictions.

“We do this in all of our instances, a type of individualized justice based upon a person’s part in the billed conducts,” Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg advised Jewish Insider last week. “We’re on the lookout particularly at the person, the criminal offense and the person’s job in the criminal offense.”

But the prosecutor included that “we consider these situations extraordinarily critically.” 

“That type of dislike has no place in Manhattan.”

Borgen recalled the assault in an interview with The Put up a working day following it happened.

“I tried to get absent, and the up coming detail I understood, I was surrounded by a complete crowd of men and women who proceeded to kick me, punch me, beat me down,” Borgen mentioned. “I felt a liquid remaining poured on my encounter and at initial I thought I was finding urinated on, but it turned out I was receiving maced and pepper-sprayed.”

“My facial area was on fire,” he additional. “That agony was worse than the concussion and all this other things that adopted.”

He mentioned he was compelled “to 2nd guess putting on a yarmulke in public” just after the assault.

The incident came amid higher tensions among Jews and Palestinians, with many clashes in New York Metropolis throughout protests and demonstrations.