NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Staten Island man took a plea deal after unleashing an unprovoked antisemitic hate attack on a Jewish man wearing an Israeli military hoodie in Brooklyn, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Suleiman Othman, 28, pleaded guilty to attempted third-degree assault as a hate crime in Brooklyn Supreme Court.
According to the evidence, on Dec. 26, 2021, Othman approached the 21-year-old victim, who was wearing an Israeli Defense Force sweatshirt, outside a Bay Ridge Foot Locker and asked, "Why do you support those dirty Jews? What are you doing in my neighborhood? You mess with the killers. If you don't take off your hoodie, I'm going to punch you."
When the victim refused, Othman punched him twice in the face and threw a cup of iced coffee at him.
He was treated at the scene for a laceration and swelling to the face, prosecutors said.
Othman fled and was identified after being captured on multiple surveillance cameras. He turned himself in to police on Jan. 11, 2022.
"The hateful and unprovoked assault this defendant admitted to today left one victim hurt, but also shook an entire community," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. "His conviction, jail time and probation should send a message that this kind of intolerance has serious consequences."
Prosecutors said that under the terms of the plea agreement, Othman will get a 60-day prison sentence and three years of probation at his Sept. 20 sentencing.
A day after the attack, Zavadsky told the New York Post that he would continue to wear the hoodie.
"You can’t be scared to walk outside and say you’re Jewish," he said. "You have to be proud of who you are and stand up for what you believe — and not be intimidated."
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