Stuart Seldowitz, a former adviser from the Obama administration, has been apprehended on hate crime charges following the circulation of viral videos showing him engaging in repeated harassment of a halal street food vendor in Manhattan.
As reported by ABC New York, the NYPD initiated a hate crime investigation leading to Seldowitz's arrest. One video captures him making threats to the vendor, suggesting he could involve immigration authorities and referencing the Egyptian intelligence agency, the Mukhabarat.
In one of the clips, Seldowitz says, "The Mukhabarat in Egypt will get your parents. Does your father like his fingernails? They’ll take them out one by one." When asked to leave, he responds by asserting his right as an American and belittling the vendor for not speaking fluent English.
Seldowitz also makes inflammatory remarks about the vendor's religion and accuses him of supporting terrorism. In another video, he antagonizes the vendor by displaying a flag of Israel and accusing him of being a "terrorist" without a permit or visa.
The co-owner of the halal cart, Islam Moustafa, expressed distress over the Islamophobic comments, stating that it has affected his ability to sleep. Witnesses, including a construction manager named Zak Ettamymy, noted Seldowitz's extreme hostility and attempted to intervene during one of the confrontations.
Mohammad Hussein, an employee at the cart, filed a complaint of aggravated harassment with the police and recorded one of the encounters with Seldowitz.
