According to court documents, former Obama administration official Stuart Seldowitz pleaded not guilty on Thursday to hate crime and stalking charges.
Seldowitz was accused of using racist and Islamophobic language to harass the operator of a food vendor in New York City.
Seldowitz formerly served as a national security adviser to former President Obama and the State Department.
Wednesday marked his apprehension on two counts of hate crime-related stalking and one additional count of aggravated harassment.
Seldowitz was captured on social media earlier this week screaming at a food cart employee while making Islamophobic remarks and allusions to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
Former Obama national security advisor Stuart Seldowitz folks. Imagine this guy shaping Middle East policy.
Masks are falling, and boy are they ugly. pic.twitter.com/q9IqxH2OEw
— Dr. Omar Suleiman (@omarsuleiman504) November 21, 2023
It appears that some recordings were captured on separate days.
A separate video depicts him threatening the vendor by alluding to the Mukhabarat, an Egyptian intelligence agency, prior to delivering disparaging remarks concerning Islam and the Prophet Mohammad.
The not guilty plea resulted in Seldowitz’s release, as per court records.
Anti-Arab and anti-Muslim harassment and violence have increased markedly since the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza began early last month.
As of this month, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has received 1,283 reports of violence and harassment, a “unprecedented” increase of 216 percent compared to the same period last year.
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