The local police in Ventura County in California announced this morning (Friday) that they had arrested Professor Louis Abdel-Fateh Alanji, who is suspected of beating to death Jewish protester Paul Kessler last week. 50-year-old Alanji will be charged with manslaughter and aggravated assault.
To recall, the incident took place on November 5 in Ventura County near Los Angeles, when the 69-year-old Kessler got into an argument with a pro-Palestinian protester who hit him on the head with a megaphone he was holding. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The local sheriff's office said that "eyewitnesses told the police that the injured man, Paul Kessler, was involved in a fight with the protesters on the other side. The sheriff's office said that the incident was being investigated as a homicide."
The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles issued a response to the incident and stated: "We are shocked by the death of an elderly Jew who was beaten by a protester, our hearts go out to the victim's family, while we await further information from law enforcement authorities, we would like to remind you that this is the fourth anti-Semitic incident since the beginning of the year in the Los Angeles area.".
Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, also commented on the case: "I warned that we are on the brink of disaster if concrete measures are not taken against anti-Semitism. Now, a Jewish supporter of Israel has been murdered. The time for words is over. Those responsible for acts of hatred against Jews must be taken off the street immediately."