New York City: Muslim man charged with assaulting pro-Israel demonstrators found with \$750,000 in cash stored in a safe

Image: Jihad Watch

Law enforcement officers searching the Manhattan apartment of a man accused of assaulting three pro-Israel protesters discovered $750,000 in cash stored in a safe, prosecutors revealed in court on Tuesday.

Approximately $250,000 of that sum was hidden in a separate compartment that took authorities over a week to open, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Adelsberg. Additionally, officers found an airsoft gun, brass knuckles, three knives, and spent shell casings from a real firearm in the apartment, where the man lives with family members, Adelsberg stated.

On Wednesday, Judge Richard Berman ordered 20-year-old Tarek Bazrouk to remain in jail pending trial on hate crime charges related to a series of assaults at protests in New York City from April 2024 to January 2025. In his ruling, Berman cited Bazrouk as a flight risk.

Bazrouk was arrested multiple times amid protests over Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Federal prosecutors charged him on May 7, coinciding with a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia University’s main library. When announcing the charges, a Justice Department official from the Trump administration emphasized their commitment to fighting antisemitism nationwide.

“Under Attorney General Pam Bondi’s leadership, we will utilize all resources to investigate and prosecute those who attack others based on their faith,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a statement.

Bazrouk faces three federal hate crime charges and has pleaded not guilty. Court documents show that last week Judge Berman requested Bazrouk’s detention until his legal team could respond to questions about the seized cash.

Bazrouk’s defense lawyer, Andrew Dalack, told the judge the money was likely earnings from Bazrouk’s job at a Connecticut smoke shop, and argued it should not justify his continued detention.

“There’s nothing about the money that makes him ineligible for bail, especially since it has been seized,” Dalack wrote in an email to Gothamist on Tuesday. “We expect to have him released soon.”

Federal prosecutors allege Bazrouk kicked and punched pro-Israel demonstrators at three different protests. He faces a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison for the hate crime charges. State prosecutors have also charged him with two counts related to the assaults.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)