The man accused of going on a hateful rant last year against a Manhattan halal food worker, fueled by the Israel-Hamas war, may have his hate crime charges dropped as part of a plea deal announced this week.
Stuart Seldowitz — a former security adviser to President Barack Obama — caught enough attention back in November to land in police custody after he was seen on video launching into his virulent rant. The since-viral incident took place on Second Avenue and East 83rd Street on the Upper East Side.
The edited video doesn’t show what happened before the halal truck worker started recording, but Seldowitz can be heard saying "If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, you know what, it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough."
Seldowitz first approached the truck on Nov. 7 and went back at least three other times, according to court documents.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
Arrested on Nov. 22 on charges including aggravated harassment and a stalking/hate crime charge, Seldowitz was back in court on Wednesday where he agreed to a deal with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. The plea requires the 65-year-old complete a 26-week anti-bias program in Queens, and he must have no new arrests and cannot violate a protection order against the halal cart worker.
The office noted Seldowitz is a first-time offender with no previous criminal history. He's now one of at least 10 cases in recent years that have been referred to Queens Counseling for Change by the Manhattan DA.
His next court appearance is scheduled for April 17, 2024.
News
Following the viral incident, Seldowitz said he regretted some of the comments made, but stood by others.
"The comments that went beyond him and interpreted on attacks against Muslims and Arab Americans and so on were probably not appropriate. The comments I made calling him out for his support of terrorism I think those were appropriate," he told News 4.
Most recently, Seldowitz had been a foreign affairs chair for Gotham Government Relations. In the wake of the incident, the group cut all ties with him.
