Three people accused of ethnic intimidation against Jewish men in Northeast Philadelphia

Three men who shouted anti-Semitic slurs at three Jewish men and then threatened them with a gun outside a Northeast Philadelphia pool hall have been charged with ethnic intimidation and related crimes, the court said Thursday. District Attorney Larry Krasner.

Aueb Salahedein, Adam Anse and Ahmad Twan were charged in connection with a June 20 incident in which authorities say they taunted and threatened the men after they struck up a conversation with them outside Bluegrass Billiards in the block of houses 9400 of Bluegrass Road.

The six men were talking around 1 a.m., prosecutors said, when Salahaldein, Anse and Twan learned the others were Jewish and began hurling racial slurs.

Then, Salahedein pulled a gun from his shoulder bag and pointed it at the three men, who ran toward their vehicle to flee. Salahaldein hit the vehicle’s windshield with the butt of his gun, causing it to crack, prosecutors said.

As Salahaldein, Anse and Twan left in a BMW, the victims removed the car’s license plate and their attackers were later arrested.

Salahaldein, 22, and Anse, 19, were charged with ethnic intimidation, terroristic threats, conspiracy and related crimes. Salahaldein, 19, who purchased the gun 12 days earlier, also faces felony firearms charges.

A Twam attorney could not immediately be reached. It is unclear whether Salahaldein and Anse had hired lawyers.

At a news conference Thursday, Andrew Goretsky, regional director of the Anti Defamation League in Philadelphia, said the crime was part of what he described as a disturbing increase in anti-Semitic acts in the city and beyond. beyond.

“We are witnessing a worrying rise in anti-Semitism and hatred in all its forms,” he said. “And it’s critical to address this growing threat.” He said the incident was “an attack on our common humanity”.

Krasner said Thursday that the charges “should serve as a warning to those who might engage in heinous behavior” and vowed to prosecute such crimes.

The announcement of the charges comes just days after vandals struck a historic synagogue near the Old City, defacing a memorial statue in front of the building, attempting to break into the synagogue and starting a fire in a dumpster. garbage.

Police continue to investigate these incidents.