A Brooklyn man named Waseem Awawdeh, 23, who allegedly attacked a 29-year old Jewish man named Joseph Borgen, has displayed little remorse over his actions, The New York Post reports.
According to the newspaper, the attack occurred on Thursday "as Israeli and Palestinian supporters clashed in Midtown", when the suspect, along with several other men, set upon the victim, who got punched, kicked and even pepper-sprayed.
As a prosecutor alleged during the suspect’s arraignment on Saturday, Awawdeh told one of his jailers: "If I could do it again, I would do it again. I have no problem doing it again."
The Manhattan assistant district attorney, who branded the attack a hate crime, also told Judge Kathryn Paek that Awawdeh called Borgen a "dirty Jew" and said, "F–k Israel, Hamas is going to kill all of you."
Friends of the accused, however, reportedly claimed that Awawdeh was attacked first, one of them saying: "They picked somebody that was weak, that was on crutches."
Awawdeh did not enter a plea and was held on a $10,000 bail; he got charged with assault as a hate crime, gang assault, menacing, aggravated harassment as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon.
The NYPD has also released photos of four other male suspects who are wanted in connection with the attack on Borgen.
The victim himself has said that the Thursday attack made him rethink wearing a yarmulke in public.
"I have a concussion," he said. "I had an X-ray on my wrist. It’s not broken, but it’s messed up. Every time I move it, it’s in pain, probably sprained. I have bruises all over my body. I have a black eye. My face is banged up. I’m just sore all over my body. They were kicking me in my ribs, my stomach."