INTERNACIONAL
California professor accused of killing pro-Israel protester will ‘likely’ avoid lengthy prison sentence
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The Jewish community is outraged after a California district attorney’s office signaled that a community college professor could escape a lengthy prison sentence after he struck an elderly pro-Israel protester with a megaphone, which led to him falling backwards onto the ground and later dying at the hospital from blunt force trauma, according to the medical examiner.
Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji, 53, an anti-Israel community college professor, was initially ordered to stand trial after hitting a pro-Israel protester, Paul Kessler, 69, in the head with a megaphone, who was standing across the street from him during dueling pro-Israel, pro-Palestinian protests in Thousand Oaks, located in Ventura County, California, in 2023. Kessler fell backwards to the ground after being struck by Alnaji striking his head and sending him to the hospital before passing away shortly thereafter from blunt force trauma, according to the medical examiner.
The incident took place against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war tensions and concerns about antisemitism rising in the United States and more broadly. Alnaji was initially facing up to four years in prison for the matter as he fought the charges against him, but on Tuesday he reversed course and the court «indicated that it is likely to place Alnaji on formal probation with up to 365 days in jail,» according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, which said it was displeased with the move.
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Paul Kessler can be seen at the intersection of Westlake and Thousand Oaks Boulevards hours before, authorities say, Alnaji delivered the blow that caused him to hit the ground and sustain fatal injuries, (Provided to Fox News Digital)
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Derek Malan, who offered Alnaji probation if he changed his plea, according to the Ventura County Star, reportedly likened the altercation to if «two old guys had a dispute and an accident happened,» Defense attorney Ron Bamieh said, after noting the offer came after multiple meetings between him and the judge.
A defense source familiar with the case said that the district attorney’s office was also involved in these talks, despite public statements indicating they were unhappy with the outcome. The defense source said the district attorney’s office had to take a harsher stance for political reasons.
«Alnaji should be sentenced to prison for his violent behavior, and our office strongly objects to any lesser sentence,» said District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. «While no amount of punishment will ever fully account for the Kessler family loss, a prison commitment underscores the severity of this crime and will deter others from committing similar acts of violence.»
A prosecutor also said Kessler’s family opposed the sentence and sought the maximum term.
ANTISEMITIC ATTACKER FACED 30-YEAR SENTENCE, GETS LESS THAN 1½ YEARS IN PLEA DEAL
Alnaji can be seen watching an ambulance cart Paul Kessler to a nearby hospital on November 5. (Provided to Fox News Digital)
However, the defense source said that prior to the plea this week, the victim’s family wanted the case over quickly and quietly, without a trial, and did not have a strong opinion about sentencing. The source also contested claims that anyone had actually seen the full incident occur and insisted there were numerous contradictions in the eyewitness accounts provided that alleged Alnaji was the aggressor.
«Mr. Alnaji made a thoughtful decision today, one guided by his family’s well-being and a deep concern for community peace. The tragedy that befell Mr. Kessler, compounded by the geopolitical tensions surrounding Israel and Gaza, led Mr. Alnaji to reconsider pursuing a full trial,» Bamieh said in a statement. «The evidence regarding Mr. Kessler’s aggressive conduct, his history of advocating violence and antagonistic tactics at pro-Palestinian rallies, and most critically, his brain stem condition—all of these facts would likely have shifted the outcome of a trial.»
The defense has argued that a pre-existing brain injury is actually what caused Kessler’s death, not blunt force trauma as was determined by the medical examiner.
ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS CLASH WITH NYPD OFFICERS NEAR SYNAGOGUE
«For those who have characterized Mr. Alnaji as a violent man who intentionally struck a helpless victim, I simply say: they are either uninformed about the facts of this case, or they are pursuing an agenda unrelated to justice. The record tells a different story,» Bamieh concluded.
Pictured is a mugshot of Loay Alnaji, arrested at his Moorpark, California home around 7:40 a.m. yesterday. The community college computer science professor faces involuntary manslaughter and battery charges in the death of pro-Israel protester Paul Kessler (Ventura County Sheriff’s Department)
Jonathan Oswaks, a friend of Kessler’s who was at the rally with him when the incident took place, told the Jewish Journal that the sentencing news was «deeply frustrating.»
«I’m not a lawyer, but the way this was handled raises serious questions for me. It sends a troubling message about accountability,» he told the Jewish Journal in an interview.
Oswaks recounted moments from the event in his interview with the outlet, noting how the pro-Palestinian protesters vastly outnumbered them that day. He said after the pair had split up, people began approaching him and stood inches from his face yelling into his ear and using a megaphone.
«When I tell you I had never experienced that level of hate in my life, I hadn’t,» he said. «I told them to get out of my space. They backed off briefly, then started again. I made it clear they needed to stay away, and eventually they did.»
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A memorial is set up by a gas station in Ventura County, California for Paul Kessler, on November 7, 2023. The 69-year-old died following an altercation with a pro-Palestinian protester days earlier. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
After news of the deal came down, the Anti-Defamation League expressed disfavor with the likely sentencing outcome, arguing it «emboldens others to act in anger against the Jewish community.»
Rabbi Noah Farkas, president and chief executive of the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, said that «while we would have liked a harsher sentence,» he welcomed «the admission of guilt for this heinous crime,» according to the L.A. Times.
«Our hope is that today’s news helps bring closure to his family and gives our community the ability to demonstrate safely,» Farkas added.
Alnaji’s sentencing is scheduled for June 25, and he remains at home after posting $50,000 bail.
in court, trials, trials, anti semitism, hamas
INTERNACIONAL
Detuvieron a más de 1.200 personas en Chile en el marco de un mega operativo en 16 regiones del país:
Más de 1.200 personas fueron detenidas en Chile durante un mega operativo policial simultáneo en las 16 regiones del país, tras una acción coordinada entre el Gobierno, la Fiscalía y Carabineros que tuvo como meta principal la búsqueda de individuos con órdenes judiciales pendientes y el fortalecimiento de tareas de prevención del delito.
Según informó el ministro de Seguridad Pública, Martín Arrau, el despliegue involucró a más de 5.000 agentes del orden y recursos logísticos en todo el territorio nacional.
El subsecretario de Seguridad Pública, Andrés Jouannet, confirmó los resultados de la intervención y valoró el trabajo realizado. «Hemos concretado un megaoperativo exitoso con 1.220 detenciones a nivel nacional“, expresó Jouannet en contacto con los medios.
A través de sus redes sociales, el funcionario amplió que el operativo contempló ”más presencia policial, más seguridad» e incluyó el despliegue de 4.858 carabineros y 1.270 medios logísticos en todo el país.
El procedimiento comenzó esta semana de manera simultánea en diversos puntos de Chile. Durante las acciones, se ejecutaron decenas de miles de controles preventivos a peatones y conductores, con el propósito de identificar personas requeridas por la Justicia.
La prensa local reportó también registros en varias decenas de domicilios vinculados a investigaciones en curso, sobre todo en las áreas metropolitanas de Santiago y Valparaíso, donde se concentró buena parte de las diligencias.
Las autoridades informaron la incautación de aproximadamente 55 kilogramos de sustancias estupefacientes, 64 armas de fuego, más de 300 municiones y cerca de 200 vehículos. Por su parte, el Ministerio de Seguridad Pública indicó que otros operativos conjuntos junto a la Policía de Investigaciones (PDI) elevaron el total de arrestos a más de 1.400. De acuerdo con cifras oficiales, una porción considerable de los aprehendidos correspondía a personas buscadas por la Justicia, incluidas algunas vinculadas a delitos graves.
El ministro de Seguridad Pública, Martín Arrau, subrayó la magnitud de la operación y agradeció el compromiso de las fuerzas policiales.
“Anoche, en solo cuatro horas, más de 5.500 agentes policiales realizaron más de 44.000 controles y fiscalizaciones; 1.400 detenidos, varios de ellos por órdenes pendientes incluso por homicidios, otros detenidos por flagrancia. Agradecer a Carabineros de Chile y la Policía de Investigaciones que están haciendo su trabajo para cuidar a la ciudadanía“, afirmó en declaraciones publicadas por La Tercera.
Las autoridades confirmaron que este tipo de despliegues se mantendrán de manera periódica como parte de la estrategia del Gobierno para reforzar la seguridad y avanzar en la detención de personas con causas judiciales pendientes.
Este operativo fue llevado adelante en paralelo a las reuniones entre representantes de Chile, Argentina, Perú, Ecuador y Bolivia para coordinar acciones contra el crimen organizado en la región.
Los cancilleres y ministros de Seguridad de dichos estados firmaron el jueves el Compromiso de Santiago, un acuerdo de alcance regional que estableció la cooperación en seguridad, inteligencia y control fronterizo como respuesta al avance de las redes criminales transnacionales. La cita se realizó en la capital chilena y reunió a las principales autoridades del área para coordinar una estrategia conjunta.
El presidente de Chile, José Antonio Kast, encabezó la apertura del encuentro. En su discurso de bienvenida advirtió: «El crimen organizado va matando a nuestros jóvenes, va sometiendo nuestros barrios, va comprando voluntades“. Kast remarcó que la coyuntura actual exige una acción colectiva y advirtió que ”la neutralidad frente a las mafias organizadas no es una opción“.
El anfitrión de la reunión, el canciller chileno Francisco Pérez Mackenna, reconoció que los esfuerzos aislados de cada país se muestran «insuficientes» frente al carácter transfronterizo de la amenaza. «Esto empieza a cambiar“, afirmó el jefe de la diplomacia chilena ante los delegados, en referencia al nuevo compromiso asumido por las cinco naciones.
(Con información de Europa Press)
INTERNACIONAL
Hasan Piker defends pro-communist, anti-ICE Singham network activists as ‘wonderful people’
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NEWARK, N.J. – As he navigated the crowds in an impromptu appearance at a protest outside the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility, Marxist political influencer Hasan Piker defended figures in the pro-China activist network funded by American Marxist tech millionaire Neville Roy Singham as «wonderful people,» while dismissing scrutiny surrounding his Cuba trip.
Asked about reporting on Singham’s network and its connections to far-left activism, Piker said there is «this environment of suspicion» surrounding Singham and his activities, taking a «sinister shape,» but they are «totally above board and totally legal.»
In recent months, many agitators from the Singham network have fueled, coordinated and organized fiery protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis, New York City, Los Angeles, New Jersey and elsewhere.
HASAN PIKER NAMES PRO-CCP TYCOON SINGHAM AS FINANCIER OF ‘POLITICAL MOVEMENTS’ DESPITE NONPROFIT VENEER
Hasan Piker speaks with an interviewer during a protest in New Jersey. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)
The remarks by Piker are noteworthy because the online influencer isn’t just a livestreamer on the Twitch platform. With millions of mostly young followers across Twitch, YouTube and social media platforms, he has emerged as one of the most influential — and polarizing — figures on the American left, regularly mobilizing support for candidates and causes aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America. Piker wore a baseball cap emblazoned with the group’s logo.
Piker has used his platforms to interview, promote and campaign alongside candidates backed by Democratic Socialists of America, helping introduce them to younger voters who consume political content online. His audience reach has made him a significant force in Democratic politics, giving him the ability to shape narratives and drive grassroots enthusiasm for candidates running on socialist and anti-establishment platforms.
Hasan Piker and Jodie Evans and Neville Roy Singham (Getty Images)
As reported, Singham is an American Marxist tech tycoon who has pumped $285 million since 2017 into a network of nonprofits that have organized and coordinated divisive anti-American street protests, such as the one unfolding in New Jersey.
«I don’t have any personal contact with Roy Singham or any of these other people,» Piker said, in response to questions from Fox News Digital. «I mean, I know some of these people. They’re wonderful people in general. They’re activists….None of it is actually hidden or illegal in any way, shape or form.»
The remarks come as federal investigators have expanded scrutiny of activists involved in travel to communist Cuba, including organizations and individuals linked to the broader network of nonprofits and advocacy groups that have received funding from Singham and his wife, Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans.
GOP LAWMAKERS URGE TREASURY TO PRESS AHEAD WITH PROBE OF HASAN PIKER OVER CUBA TRIP
As reported exclusively by Fox News Digital last Saturday, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sent Piker and CodePink an administrative subpoena as part of an investigation into a March convoy to Cuba. Piker claimed he hadn’t personally received any legal notice.
«Fox News Digital says I have a subpoena, but I have yet to be served one,» Piker said. «So I don’t even know what’s going on. It kind of feels like you guys have more insight into what the federal government’s doing than I do, and I’m supposed to be subpoenaed.»
Piker’s comments follow disclosures by CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin that Evans received the query via an email that initially landed in a spam folder.
«We heard this on Fox News, that there was this subpoena out,» Benjamin said in an interview shared publicly by BreakThrough News, another nonprofit that Singham has funded. «I was going outside my front door looking around for somebody to serve me. And it turns out that it was an email that was sent to Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans, and it was so unofficial that it landed in our spam box.»
As reported, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sent investigative letters seeking financial, logistical and communications documents about the March convoy. The Office of Foreign Assets Control administers and enforces U.S. sanctions programs, including restrictions governing financial transactions and certain travel-related activities involving Cuba.
Fox News Digital has reported that the March 2026 convoy to Cuba involved a transnational network of activists organized by another Singham-funded group, the People’s Forum, and a nonprofit, Progressive International, both with close ties to the communist regime in Cuba.
DAVID MARCUS: HASAN PIKER, USEFUL IDIOT FASHIONISTAS WANT TO MAKE AMERICA INTO COMMIE CUBA
The activists are protesting U.S. sanctions on the communist island. Piker participated in the trip alongside members of Code Pink and a network of 145 organizations, according to a Fox News Digital investigation.
Piker framed the investigation as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to target political activists and protesters, arguing that scrutiny of Cuba travel conflicted with Trump’s campaign promises to defend free speech.
«I feel like there are a lot of people who believed in that message, and now he’s betrayed that message,» Piker said.
Piker told Fox News Digital that he welcomed a debate with Fox News host Sean Hannity.
Piker, who was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, was visiting his home state from his $2 million home in West Hollywood, California, canvassing at a Saturday rally in Trenton for a controversial candidate, Adam Hamamy, endorsed by Democratic Socialists of America in his race for the U.S. Congress.
The New York Times published a profile on Saturday, noting the candidate’s «ties to a militant cleric.» Piker defended Hamamy.
Marxist political influencer Hasan Piker stands outside his home in West Hollywood, Calif., on May 12, 2026, pointing silently to his dog Kaya to direct her back into his home. (MB/Splash for Fox News Digital)
Last week, on a livestream on the Twitch platform where he talked for about six hours nonstop, the influencer dismissed concerns about his connections to organizations involved in the Cuba convoy, while acknowledging that Singham finances a network of left-wing nonprofits engaged in «political advocacy» and «a lot of political movements.»
Critics have argued the network functions as a coordinated activist infrastructure advancing pro-communist causes, including support for Cuba, China and other authoritarian governments opposed to U.S. foreign policy.
As Fox News Digital asked Piker about concerns related to malign foreign influence from China, including at far-left activist events such as the anti-ICE protest unfolding around him, Piker walked away without answering the question.
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Piker has polarized people in many communities, including among leftists and Democrats.
An activist shouted, «Get out of here,» as Piker walked away, punctuating his derision with, «Dog abuser,» a reference to allegations Piker trained his dog, Kaya, with a shock collar.
Piker has denied the allegations.
fox news, campus radicals, the squad, new jersey, us protests
El Comando Sur de Estados Unidos (SOUTHCOM) llevó adelante un nuevo «ataque cinético letal» el sábado contra un buque dedicado al narcotráfico, el cual navegaba en aguas del Pacífico oriental. La reciente ofensiva estadounidense, la cuarta de la semana, dejó tres narcotraficantes muertos.
Según detalló el propio SOUTHCOM a través de un comunicado en redes sociales, la operación fue ejecutada por la Fuerza de Tarea Conjunta de la operación Lanza del Sur, bajo el mando del general Francis L. Donovan. Un vídeo en blanco y negro que acompañó la publicación mostró la narco lancha en alta mar antes de ser engullida por una gran explosión.
El cuerpo militar precisó que la embarcación atacada estaba bajo control de organizaciones terroristas designadas y transitaba rutas frecuentemente utilizadas para el transporte ilícito de estupefacientes. Además, informó que no se registraron heridos ni daños entre las fuerzas estadounidenses que participaron en el operativo.
De acuerdo con el comunicado, la acción resultó posible por la utilización de información de inteligencia, que permitió identificar y localizar la nave involucrada. El SOUTHCOM aseguró que el objetivo mantenía una participación activa en actividades ilegales en la región.
La reciente operación, enmarcada dentro de la estrategia de la operación Lanza del Sur, evidencia la continuidad de los esfuerzos de Estados Unidos para combatir el narcotráfico en aguas internacionales, sin que se reporten bajas entre su personal en esta serie de intervenciones.
El ataque del Comando Sur elevó a más de 200 el número de narcotraficantes muertos desde el inicio de la ofensiva militar impulsada por la administración de Donald Trump en septiembre. La cifra refleja el saldo acumulado de fallecidos en el marco de la estrategia estadounidense contra el narcotráfico en América Latina.
La operación Lanza del Sur comenzó bajo la coordinación del Ejército estadounidense, como parte de la intensificación de acciones para frenar las actividades de los cárteles de la droga que operan desde América Latina. El propio Trump remarcó que Washington mantiene una guerra abierta contra estas organizaciones criminales.
SOUTHCOM es responsable de las operaciones de seguridad y cooperación en el Caribe, América Central y Sudamérica, en el marco de sus tareas de combate al narcotráfico en la región.
Las operaciones del SOUTHCOM se enmarcan en una estrategia integral que combina control naval, vigilancia aérea y labores de inteligencia realizadas en conjunto con países de Sudamérica y Centroamérica. Este enfoque busca ejercer presión en distintos frentes para debilitar las redes de narcotráfico que operan en la región.
Autoridades estadounidenses remarcaron que las acciones militares cumplen con los estándares legales internacionales y se enfocan en neutralizar amenazas identificadas contra la seguridad no solo de Estados Unidos, sino también de países aliados.
El secretario de Defensa, Pete Hegseth, defendió la necesidad de este accionar: “No permitiremos que organizaciones criminales usen el mar para infiltrar drogas en nuestro país. Hemos salvado miles de vidas al cortar estas rutas”.
La administración del presidente Donald Trump otorgó máxima prioridad a esta ofensiva militar, implementando operaciones conjuntas, patrullas navales y coordinación permanente con agencias de inteligencia para detectar y destruir embarcaciones sospechosas tanto en el Caribe como en el Pacífico. Según la postura oficial, la finalidad es interrumpir cadenas logísticas criminales de alto impacto y reforzar la seguridad regional frente al avance del narcotráfico.
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