Moorpark College professor Loay Alnaji allegedly struck pro-Israel protester Paul Kessler with megaphone, causing him to die from injuries sustained after he fell and hit his head on concrete.
A college professor in California has been arrested in connection with the death of pro-Israel protestor Paul Kessler, who died last week after reportedly being beaten with a megaphone.
Moorpark College professor Loay Alnaji was taken into custody Thursday as a suspect in Kessler’s death, with a police report from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office indicating he’s being charged with involuntary manslaughter.
“On November 16, 2023, detectives from the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau contacted Loay Alnaji in the City of Moorpark and arrested him for the death of Paul Kessler,” states a press release. “Alnaji will be booked at the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility for California Penal Code section 192(b) — involuntary manslaughter and his bail will be set at $1,000,000.”
Alnaji is evidently a professor in the Computer Science department at Moorpark College.
Disturbing footage from the demonstration last week showed Kessler lying on the ground with blood gushing from his head as bystanders tried to help him.
Reports claimed Alnaji, who was counter-protesting in support of Palestine, hit Kessler in the head with a megaphone, causing him to fall, hit his head against the concrete and die.
Police are also asking the public for any footage of the incident to aid their investigation.
The deadly violence at the protest illustrates how tensions are spreading to the West from the Middle East and reaching a boiling point thanks to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.