The Trump administration’s Department of Justice announced federal hate crime charges against a Muslim man accused of violently attacking a Jewish man outside the Adas Torah Synagogue during a chaotic anti-Israel protest in 2024.

Federal prosecutors say Zaid Gitesatani allegedly sucker punched a Jewish man from behind during unrest outside the synagogue, where an event connected to land sales in Israel was taking place. The gathering drew large anti-Israel demonstrations organized by several Palestinian activist groups.

According to prosecutors, Gitesatani later posted disturbing comments online following the assault. In one message cited by authorities, he allegedly wrote, “The chosen people sometimes need a good smack to wake up.”

Investigators also say he sent Instagram messages boasting about the attack, allegedly writing, “I whopped 2 zios … I swung on them … It was satisfying…”

The DOJ has now charged Gitesatani with a federal hate crime.

“This case illustrated the transition from free speech to criminal conduct. Even one hate crime is one too many,” said Patrick Grandy, the FBI Los Angeles official in charge of the case.

The incident became one of the most widely discussed clashes during anti-Israel demonstrations in Los Angeles following the October 7 Hamas massacre and the ensuing war in Gaza. Jewish organizations at the time warned that rhetoric targeting Zionists and Israel supporters was increasingly spilling over into direct violence against Jews in the United States.