Tarek Bazrouk of New York, who participated in anti-Israel protests at Columbia University in April 2024 and told a friend he thought of lighting someone on fire, reportedly has ties to Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.
Bazrouk is currently awaiting trial in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York on three charges of hate crimes against Jewish people in 2024 and 2025. Sealed parts of the criminal complaint reference the 20-year-old’s alleged connection to the military wing of Hamas, according to a report by The New York Post.
The complaint states that Bazrouk, a U.S. citizen, was a “member of a chat group that received regular updates from Abu Obeida,” as the newspaper reported. Abu Obeida is the spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades.
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While on campus at Columbia University in April 2024 during the anti-Israel protests, the suspect told a friend that he thought of lighting someone on fire, but there were “too many” people around.
In a response to The Post, defense attorney Andrew Dalack denied that his client has any connection with Hamas.
In a Wednesday statement published on its website, Columbia University clarified that Bazrouk was not enrolled as a student despite participating in the anti-Israel protests on campus.
“Contrary to media reports suggesting otherwise, we have no record of this individual ever being on Columbia’s campus. We want to be clear that this individual is not affiliated with our University in any way,” the university’s statement reads. “Columbia strongly condemns antisemitism and violence, and we are horrified by the violence and hate crimes described in the indictment.”
On May 7, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the unsealing of an indictment against Bazrouk in connection with his “repeated assaults” of Jewish victims. Citing court documents and various public filings, the DOJ reported that Bazrouk physically assaulted three Jewish individuals over Israel’s war against Hamas.
During the first incident on April 15, 2024, Bazrouk wore a green headband typically worn by Hamas militants while attending a protest outside the New York Stock Exchange. New York Police arrested the activist after he lunged at a group of pro-Israel protestors.
As the police escorted Bazrouk to an NYPD vehicle, the suspect kicked a Jewish college student in the stomach. At the time of the assault, the student had been standing near a group of Jewish protestors wearing kippahs who were there expressing support for Israel by carrying Israeli flags and singing Jewish songs.
Eight months later, the suspect is accused of assaulting another Jewish student wearing a kippah during a protest related to Israel’s war against Hamas. Bazrouk struck the second victim in the face after the Jewish student and his brother attempted to retrieve an Israeli flag that Bazrouk had stolen.
The suspect attacked a third Jewish victim in January during another protest near First Avenue and East 18th Street in Manhattan, according to the DOJ. This victim was wearing an Israeli flag around his shoulders, an Israeli hat and a chain with a Jewish star when the assault took place.
Authorities arrested Bazrouk on May 7, and he currently faces up to 30 years in prison, as each hate crime charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
“The Civil Rights Division will continue to relentlessly pursue allegations of antisemitic violence and will not stop until justice is served for the victims and their families,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in the statement.
“Under Attorney General Pam Bondi’s leadership, we will use all available resources to investigate and charge those who target and assault others because of their faith,” she added.
Bazrouk’s phone was “littered with pro-Hamas and pro-Hezbollah propaganda, showing his support for organizations that have murdered thousands of Jews and Israelis,” The DOJ noted.
Law enforcement discovered evidence of “antisemitic bias” and “support for anti-Jewish terrorist groups, including Hamas” on the suspect’s phone, according to court documents referenced by the DOJ.
Bazrouk reportedly referred to himself as a “Jew-hater,” telling a friend that he was “mad happy” to learn that relatives overseas were members of Hamas.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
