VENTURA, Calif. (CN) — A Southern California man was charged Thursday in connection with the death of a 69-year-old Jewish man during a confrontation between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protesters at a rally earlier this month.
Loay Alnaji, 50, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and battery causing serious bodily injury, according to a statement from the Ventura County District Attorney. Both charges have special allegations that Alnaji personally inflicted great bodily injury, the statement said.
Alnaji was arrested this morning at his home in Moorpark, the Ventura County Sheriff's office said earlier Thursday.
Paul Kessler was part of a group of counter-protesters, known as "We Are Pro Israel," at a Nov. 5 "Freedom for Palestine" rally at an intersection in Thousands Oaks. Videos posted on social media show a smallish group of pro-Palestine demonstrators in front of a gas station as one of them yelled into a megaphone, "All of Israel will burn in hell."
A few pro-Israel counter-protesters, including Kessler holding an Israeli flag, can be seen in the video standing next to the pro-Palestine demonstrators. Another video shows Kessler lying on his back and bleeding from his head.
Kessler was taken to the hospital where he died the next morning. His death was ruled a homicide.
Alnaji was identified as a suspect at the time. He was one of the people who called 911 and remained willingly at the scene of the incident, Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff said at a Nov. 7 press conference.
Alnaji cooperated with the deputies who responded to the incident and told them that he had been involved in an altercation with Kessler. The details of what preceded the altercation and who instigated it were still unclear at the time of the Nov. 7 press conference, and witnesses at the scene gave conflicting accounts.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Alnaji is a professor of computer science at Moorpark College who has espoused pro-Palestinian stances in the past on social media. His social media posts and profile on the college's website were taken down as of Thursday, the newspaper said.
A name for an attorney representing Alnaji wasn't immediately available.
The Hamas attack on Israel last month and Israel's subsequent invasion of Gaza has prompted demonstrations around the world and reportedly has led to a surge in antisemitism.
Ventura County D.A. Erik Nasarenko said at a press conference Friday that Alnaji wasn't charged with murder because there had been no evidence that he came to the Nov. 5 demonstration with the intent to harm or kill anyone.
"But nevertheless," Nasarenko said, "it is alleged that he committed involuntary manslaughter. Specifically, that he killed another with criminal negligence."
The investigation was still ongoing as to whether Alnaji will be charged with a hate crime, the prosecutor said.
Nasarenko didn't go into the details of the evidence against Alnaji. The Jewish Federation of Greater LA said in a Twitter post the day of Kessler's death that he had been struck in the head with a megaphone.
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