- A man demands the release of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas.
- The police refuse to take action against the man or arrest him.
- The governor of New York becomes aware of the harassment incident.
A man entered a New York mosque and harassed people there, demanding the release of Israeli civilians who were taken hostage by Hamas following its attack on October 7 last year. Geographic news reported on Friday.
Police reportedly took no action against the unidentified man, saying the incident was not motivated by religious hatred.
The decision not to arrest the man angered the Muslim community, which said police would have taken action if the incident had occurred at any other place of worship.
However, New York Governor Kathy Hochul took note of the harassment of Muslims and said those accused should be brought to justice no matter who was harassed.
The incident comes as part of several Islamophobic episodes in the United States that were exacerbated after Hamas, a Palestinian resistance group, violated Israel's security nexus in a surprise attack.
Following the attack, the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu has continued to attack innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip with intense bombing, leaving the Strip destroyed and its population displaced.
Israeli attacks have left almost 30,000 Palestinians dead, including thousands of children.
