Palestinian man assaulted in Brooklyn by group waving Israeli flags, NYPD says
Men waving Israeli flags assaulted an 18-year-old Palestinian man in Brooklyn as ripples from the war in Israel continued to hit New York, police said Thursday.
The Palestinian man was with two friends on 86th St. near Fourth Ave. in Bay Ridge about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday when three cars rolled by.
Several men were in each car, waving Israeli flags out the window and screaming anti-Palestinian statements, cops said.
When the cars pulled over, the men jumped out of the vehicles and zeroed in on the 18-year-old.
After the attackers punched and kicked the Palestinian man, they ran back to their cars and sped off, said police. The victim’s two friends, ages 19 and 20, were not harmed.
The attack victim refused medical attention as police arrived.
No arrests were reported in the case as of Thursday morning. The incident is being investigated by the NYPD Hate Crimes Unit.
The assault was one of two incidents in the city on linked to the Israeli war within a four hour span on Wednesday, cops said.
In an earlier incident reported at about 7:40 p.m., cops raced to Congregation B’Nai Josef on Ocean Parkway near Avenue P in Midwood after two teens were spotted with a gun outside the Jewish house of worship.
When cops arrived, they learned that the teens had a gel blaster air pistol, which shoots gel balls that can bruise their victims. The teens were not aiming it at the synagogue or anyone else, said police.
The teens received a summons for the gel blaster, which is illegal in New York State, police said.
The two incidents come as police ramp up patrols around houses of worship on both sides of the conflict.
Since Hamas’ raid and massacres in Israel Saturday, both anti-Palestinian and anti-Israeli protests have been held in the city, which have been relatively peaceful. None of the protests have resulted in arrests.
All NYPD officers were ordered to show up for work in uniform on Friday as they prepare for more protests, and possible violence, in response to a call by former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal for Palestinians to support Palestine and fight Israel, sources said.