Yehia Amin punched one in the head and yelled antisemitic epithets like “Hamas should kill more of you.”
By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News
A man who followed a group of Israeli Jews around Manhattan streets yelling antisemitic epithets and eventually clouting one of them was indicted on multiple hate crime charges Tuesday.
Yehia Amin, 28, allegedly identified the five young men as Jews by their skullcaps on the evening of October 18 as they walked in Times Square. He followed them for over ten minutes for several blocks, saying things like “Hamas should kill more of you,” “May Allah kill you,” and “All Jews should die,” while playing what he called “Hamas music” on his Bluetooth.
As the group walked towards a train station to try and get away from him, Amin added threatening statements, including, “I want to kill you,” and “I want to kill you for Gaza,” according to the prosecutors.
Amin eventually ran up to a 23-year-old member of the group and struck him on the back of his head, causing pain, redness and swelling, according to court documents. He then fled, but was followed by the Israelis, who got the attention of a police officer who joined the chase and ultimately arrested him.
The grand jury at New York Supreme Court indicted Amin on charges of stalking in the first degree as a hate crime, aggravated harassment in the second degree, and assault and stalking in the third degree as a hate crime.
“As alleged, Yehia Amin taunted and punched a tourist after stalking his friends and going on a vile antisemitic tirade that spanned several minutes,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said. “Violence stemming from hate and discrimination will not be tolerated in Manhattan. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to hold those that cause harm accountable to ensure Manhattan is a safe place for everyone.”
Antisemitic hate crimes have exploded nationwide since October 7, when Israel declared war on Hamas after the terror organization invaded Gaza envelope communities, massacred 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and abducted some 240, including the elderly and infants.
Incidents of anti-Jewish assault, harassment and vandalism rose nearly 400% in October according to the Anti-Defamation League, in comparison to the same period last year. FBI Director Christopher Wray has noted that “the biggest chunk” of hate crimes investigations, which have jumped 60% since October 7, “are threats against the Jewish community.”
Specifically in New York through November 9, there has been a 214% surge in antisemitic incidents, according to the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force.
Bragg himself has come under in the past from Jewish groups for being soft on crime in cases of anti-Jewish assaults. In 2021, Joseph Borgen was viciously assaulted by a group of men yelling antisemitic slurs, and Bragg offered one of the assailants a six-month plea deal, even though he told police officers he’d “do it again” if he had the chance.
Another assailant was charged much more severely and was sentenced last month to seven years in jail.
Amin’s next court hearing was set for February 27.