A university professor was arrested on suspicion of killing a Jewish protester | Deaths | Manslaughter | Demonstrations

[The Epoch Times, November 17, 2023](Comprehensive report by Epoch Times reporter Ma Shangen) On Thursday (November 16), a university professor in Moorpark, Ventura County, was arrested on suspicion of murder earlier this month. He was arrested for negligence in the death of a Jewish protester and his bail was set at $1 million.

According to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office webpage, following an investigation, police contacted and arrested a suspect in the death of Paul Kessler – Loy Abdulfattah – on Thursday. Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji. The reason for the arrest was involuntary manslaughter.

On the afternoon of November 5, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrators clashed while demonstrating at the intersection of Westlake Blvd. and Thousands Oaks in Thousand Oaks. Kessler fell to the ground during the confrontation and died at the hospital. After the police arrived, Alnagy, who was present at the time, claimed that he had a conflict with Kessler. He was also one of the people who called 911 after Kessler fell to the ground.

Alnagy is a full-time professor of computer science at Moorpark College. He is 50 years old. On the day of the incident, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department did not make an immediate arrest decision, citing conflicting testimony from witnesses who caused Kessler’s fall, and police needed to further investigate those witnesses and testimony first. But after a traffic stop following the incident, Alnagy was taken into custody and a search warrant was executed at his home. According to the Los Angeles Times, a neighbor who lives across the street from Arnagy said that on the day after the incident, a police car was parked on the street in front of his house all day, and the police took away some items when they left. .

Alnaji has supported Palestine on social media in the past. Much of his social media content was later deleted. The Facebook and Instagram accounts are also gone. He worked at a university in the United Arab Emirates, studied computer science in Jordan, earned a degree from California State University, and received his PhD in Business Administration from a university in Los Angeles in 2005.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Ventura County Chief Medical Examiner Christopher Young said an autopsy determined Kessler died of blunt force head injuries and the death was ruled a homicide. But Young also explained that although the death resulted from the actions of another person, this does not necessarily point to criminal intent.

According to the California Penal Code, involuntary manslaughter is defined as the death of a person resulting from an unlawful act that is less than a felony, or from a lawful act resulting in death without due caution. According to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office website, Kessler got into a physical altercation with a pro-Palestinian protester that day. During the argument, Kessler fell backward and hit his head on the ground. But the office did not say whether the fall was caused by someone else’s blow or another reason.

Although the arrest has been made, investigators are urging people to come forward with more information about the incident, especially drivers who were in the area and had video recording equipment in their vehicles. Ventura County Crime Stoppers is also offering a reward of up to $1,000.

In response to the latest information released by police, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles issued a statement praising the work of the authorities and thanking the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department for its quick response to Kessler’s death. The statement also said that this arrest shows that violence against the Jewish community will not be tolerated and “we will continue to monitor this case to ensure that justice is served.”

Editor in charge: Fang Ping