Stuart Seldowitz, a former official with the U.S. State Department, was arrested by New York police on Wednesday following an incident in which he verbally attacked an Egyptian halal street vendor. The arrest comes after a video went viral, capturing Seldowitz making anti-Islamic statements, calling the vendor a terrorist, and expressing disturbing sentiments about the death of Palestinian children.
The 64-year-old was charged with aggravated harassment, hate crime stalking, stalking causing fear, and stalking at a place of employment. According to the police statement, the victim, a 24-year-old male, reported that Seldowitz approached him multiple times at his workplace, making anti-Islamic statements on different occasions, causing fear and annoyance.
The video, which circulated earlier this month, documented multiple confrontations between Seldowitz and the halal cart vendor on a Manhattan sidewalk, primarily centered around the Israeli-Hamas conflict. The ongoing conflict, reignited on October 7, has led to increased incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia in the United States, contributing to street protests supporting both Israel and Palestinians in Gaza.
In the video, Seldowitz is heard saying, “If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, you know what? It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough.” The vendor responds by telling him to leave, but Seldowitz accuses him of being a terrorist and supporting terrorism.
Before his arrest, Seldowitz defended himself in a television interview, claiming that the video did not present the whole story. He argued that his comments about the vendor’s support for Hamas were justified, but acknowledged that remarks that went beyond that might not have been appropriate.
Seldowitz, who worked in the Obama administration as acting director for the National Security Council South Asia Directorate, has faced scrutiny for his comments. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “The United States unequivocally opposes racist or discriminatory language of any form” when asked about the incident.
The arrest underscores the legal consequences for hate crimes and discriminatory behavior, emphasizing the importance of accountability for individuals, regardless of their professional background, who engage in verbal abuse and hate speech.
