California professor accused of killing pro-Israel protester will 'likely' avoid lengthy prison sentence
The Jewish community is outraged after a California district attorney's office signaled that a community college professor could escape a lengthy prison sentence after he struck an elderly pro-Israel protester...
By Fox News · Fox News
The Jewish community is outraged after a California district attorney's office signaled that a community college professor could escape a lengthy prison sentence after he struck an elderly pro-Israel protester with a megaphone, which led to him falling backwards onto the ground and later dying at the hospital from blunt force trauma, according to the medical examiner. Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji, 53, an anti-Israel community college professor, was initially ordered to stand trial after hitting a pro-Israel protester, Paul Kessler, 69, in the head with a megaphone, who was standing across the street from him during dueling pro-Israel, pro-Palestinian protests in Thousand Oaks, located in Ventura County, California, in 2023. Kessler fell backwards to the ground after being struck by Alnaji striking his head and sending him to the hospital before passing away shortly thereafter from blunt force trauma, according to the medical examiner. The incident took place against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war tensions and concerns about antisemitism rising in the United States and more broadly. Alnaji was initially facing up to four years in prison for the matter as he fought the charges against him, but on Tuesday he reversed course and the court "indicated that it is likely to place Alnaji on formal probation with up to 365 days in jail," according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, which said it was displeased with the move. GERMAN OFFICIALS WARN ISLAMIST, FAR-LEFT RHETORIC DRIVING SPIKE IN ANTISEMITIC ATTACKS Ventura County Superior Court Judge Derek Malan, who offered Alnaji probation if he changed his plea, according to the Ventura County Star, reportedly likened the altercation to if "two old guys had a dispute and an accident happened," Defense attorney Ron Bamieh said, after noting the offer came after multiple meetings between him and the judge. A defense source familiar with the case said that the district attorney's office was also involved in these…