Nine suspects sought in Brooklyn hate crime linked to Israel-Hamas conflict: NYPD

Police are looking for nine men wanted for an alleged hate crime in Brooklyn that appears to be related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

Cops said the suspects were in three vehicles in the vicinity of 86th Street near 4th Avenue in Bay Ridge when they yelled out anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim statements at three men walking along the street at around 11:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11.

The suspects, who were waving Israeli flags, then parked their vehicles and approached the three men, before punching and kicking an 18-year-old who suffered minor injuries. A 19-year-old man and 21-year-old man who were with the victim were uninjured. The victims, police said, are believed to be of Arab or Palestinian descent.

According to reports, the victims yelled out “free Palestine” at the suspects prior to the attack. Following the alleged assault, the nine men got back into their respective vehicles and drove off.

The incident comes at a time when tensions are high between ardent Palestinian and Israeli supporters following the outbreak of war in Gaza. There has been a spate of antisemitic and anti-Muslim incidents in the past week.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.