Authorities have arrested six people on hate crime allegations after an antisemitic attack on a University of Pittsburgh Jewish student, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said.
Court records filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania show a federal grand jury recently indicted the group on charges they violated the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, obstructed justice, and conspired with each other in connection to the Sept. 27, 2024, attack on a Jewish man in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood.
"This Department of Justice will always protect the First Amendment right to worship freely and without fear for Jewish Americans and all Americans of faith," U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi released in a statement after the arrests.
According to a 23-page indictment, the students are accused of targeting the student after noting he was wearing a Star of David necklace. The attack took place just after 2 a.m., officials said, and the six people allegedly made antisemitic statements to him before assaulting the student.
University of Pittsburgh spokesperson Jared Stonesifer said the college’s police department assisted Pittsburgh police and the FBI with the reported off-campus crime.
