Man arrested in connection to the death of Jewish protester in Los Angeles area
The Ventura County Sheriff's Office arrested a man in connection to the death of a 69-year-old pro-Israel protester.
Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, 50, was arrested Thursday morning, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. He is being held on a $1 million bail. The District Attorney charged him with involuntary manslaughter and battery causing serious bodily injury.
Both charges carry special allegations that Alnaji "personally inflicted great bodily injury," according to prosecutors.
Pro-Israel Paul Kessler, who is Jewish, died earlier this month after being injured during an alleged fight with pro-Palestinian protesters during a rally in Thousand Oaks.
Authorities said the alleged battery happened around 3:20 p.m. on Nov. 5 at the intersection of Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard, where both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protests were taking place. Witnesses told investigators that a man struck Kessler before he fell and hit his head on the ground.
Kessler was "struck in the head by a megaphone wielded pro-Palestinian protester," according to the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles. Kessler was taken to the hospital where he died from his injuries the next day.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office classified his death as a homicide.
Authorities continue to investigate the incident and ask anyone with information to contact the sheriff's office at (805) 384-4745. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
