Palestinian migrant who arrived via Mexico allegedly beat homeowner over his support for Israel: video
A 26-year-old Palestinian immigrant is facing hate crime charges in New York after police say he stole his homeowner's American and Israeli flags and then threw the man to the ground while yelling anti-Semitic slurs.
"These are not the kind of people who came to America like my great-grandfather, like your great-grandfather and grandparents and parents who came to America to kiss the ground," Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman told reporters Tuesday. "
"Instead, they spit on our flag, they trample on our values and they commit crimes. And they do it at the taxpayers' expense."
Bechir Lehabib, 26, told police he was a Palestinian from North Africa and gave two migrant shelters in New York City as his addresses. Authorities said he entered the U.S. at the Mexican border in Arizona over the summer and claimed to seek asylum.
"The Nassau County Police Department and District Attorney Donnelly have a unique perspective for the metropolitan area," Blakeman told Fox News Digital. "We arrest, we charge and we demand justice against foreign invaders who have no respect for America and religious freedom."
While Lehbib claimed he was looking for work at the time of the attack on Sunday afternoon, the video shows him walking through a residential neighborhood before taking a flag and banner from someone's courtyard.
Police said he allegedly took issue with a sign that read "I stand with Israel" and a joint American-Israeli flag.
The landlord caught him down the block and tried to get his property back. Video shows violence erupted immediately.
Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Smith said, "As he approached and confronted the subject, he was struck over the head with an overhead right cross." “The subject continued to swing wildly and struggle with the victim, and at one point threw the victim to the ground.”
He allegedly stomped the victim's head at least once and he suffered bruising, swelling and "extreme pain to his head".
The victim broke free and called 911. Before Lehabib fled, he allegedly made "threatening and biased" statements and told the victim, "I'm a Palestinian, and you Jews are killing Palestinians."
After his arrest, Lehabib reportedly shouted abuse against Jews and threatened more violence against anyone seen with an Israeli flag.
Lehabib faces serious charges of hate crime attack, robbery and criminal mischief. A judge set his bail at $50,000 and ordered him to surrender his passport and stay away from the victim.
Authorities said they believe she took a bus from a migrant shelter to a residential neighborhood in the Queens borough of New York City, which borders Nassau County, where she was arrested.
Nassau is a suburb just east of the Big Apple, where police officials warned of a "wave of immigrant crime" earlier this week after a group of illegals beat up two NYPD officers and investigators separated. Separate Venezuelan crime gang was busted.
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