New York: A former US State Department official and a former associate of ex-US President Barack Obama has been arrested by the police for alleged anti-Muslim abuse at a food shop in New York City, America.
Stuart Seldowitz has admitted to the media that he is the person seen in the viral video related to the incident.
In the video, he is seen calling the person driving the halal food truck a "terrorist".
Person selling halal food instigated me: Seldowitz
He alleged that the person selling halal food instigated him by expressing support for the Palestinian extremist organization Hamas.
According to reports, the name of the person selling halal food on truck is said to be Mohammad Hussain. While talking to the media, he denied that he had spoken in support of Hamas.
A New York Police Department spokesperson confirmed that Seldowitz was taken into custody on Wednesday.
Serious charges have been made against him like harassment, hate crime and stalking.
Viral videos show Seldowitz at a food truck at different times of the day.
"Even if we killed 4,000 Palestinian children, it was not enough," he is heard saying in a video clip.
In another video clip, he is seen calling the food truck man "ignorant".
He is saying, "You and your family should be harassed by the Egyptian Secret Police."
After this he can be heard making inflammatory comments.
At another place in the video, a person watching the incident interrupts him and says, "You are harassing him."
American website Daily Beast said that Seldowitz had confirmed his presence in the clip.
“Yes, that’s me,” he told The Daily Beast.
"I felt that those who justified terrorism and the killing of innocent people should be held to account," he told the website.
Later Seldowitz says, "I am sorry that this incident happened. I apologize."
He adds, "I probably said some things I shouldn't have said."
Previously, Seldowitz held significant roles in the US government, including acting director for the National Security Council South Asia Directorate during the Obama administration and deputy director/senior political officer in the State Department's Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs from 1999 to 2003. He was the director of the National Security Council of the White House.
Gotham Government Relations end all affiliation with Seldowitz
As of November 2022, he was appointed as foreign affairs chair at Gotham Government Relations.
Following the incident, Gotham Government Relations took to Twitter to announce the termination of their relationship with Seldowitz.
"Gotham Government Relations has ended all affiliation with Stuart Seldowitz, an individual who hasn't contributed to our work in years. The video of his actions is vile, racist, and beneath the dignity of the standards we practice at our firm," the firm stated in a tweet, removing his page from their website.
No comments:
Post a Comment