NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Officials charged a man for an antisemitic attack on an Israeli tourist walking through Times Square with his friends last October, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., announced Tuesday.
Yehia Amin, 28, was charged with two counts of stalking in the first degree as a hate crime, two counts of assault in the third degree as a hate crime, two counts of stalking in the third degree as a hate crime and one count of aggravated harassment in the second degree.
According to court documents, at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 18, a Jewish Israeli tourist was visiting Times Square with a group of friends who were all wearing kippahs.
As the group walked up 7th Avenue from 42nd Street, they passed by Amin, who recognized that they were Jewish and began following them for several blocks.
While following them, Amin used his Bluetooth speaker to play music that he later described as "Hamas music" and also made antisemitic and anti-Israeli remarks, including, in substance, "Hamas should kill more of you," "May Allah kill you," "May Allah kill all the Jews," and "All Jews should die," DA Bragg said.
When the group reached West 47th Street, they tried to report Amin to a security guard, but he continued harassing them. The victim and his friends tried walking towards a nearby train station to leave Times Square, but Amin continued following and them and making additional statements including "All Jews are crybabies," "I want to die for Gaza," "I want to kill you," and "I want to kill you for Gaza," authorities said.
After harassing the victim and his friends for over 10 minutes, Amin sprinted up behind the victim and punched him in the back of the head, causing redness, swelling and substantial pain.
Amin fled the scene, with the victim and his friends following behind. A police officer joined the chase and was able to catch up to Amin to arrest him.
While under arrest, Amin continued to yell, "I will die for Gaza," "F- Israel," "God kill all the Israelis" and "God kill all the Jewish people."
"As alleged, Yehia Amin taunted and punched a tourist after stalking his friends and going on a vile antisemitic tirade that spanned several minutes," District Attorney 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."