Stuart Seldowitz, a former official in the Obama administration’s National Security Council, was arrested and taken into custody on Wednesday, November 22nd, following the circulation of videos showing him using Islamophobic language against a New York City food cart vendor.
The 64-year-old pleaded not guilty to charges including two counts of fourth-degree hate crime/stalking and one count of second-degree aggravated harassment.
In the videos, Seldowitz is seen and heard making derogatory remarks about Islam and the vendor’s citizenship status, along with accusations of the vendor’s support for Hamas amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
“You support killing little children,” Seldowitz accuses in one video, to which the vendor responds, “You kill children, not me.”
Seldowitz then says, “If we killed 4,000 Palestinian children, you know what? It wasn’t enough!”
This incident occurred amidst a notable rise in anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias in the U.S. following a recent Hamas attack on Israel.
The FBI has also reported a significant increase in antisemitic incidents.
The Anti-Defamation League has noted a dramatic surge in incidents, with reports indicating a 388% escalation in incidents following October 7, compared to the same timeframe in the previous year.
In another video, Seldowitz threatens to publicize the vendor’s alleged support for Hamas and mocks the vendor’s religion.
He also references Egypt’s General Intelligence Service in a threatening manner towards the vendor’s family.
Seldowitz said, “Mukhabarat in Egypt will get your parents. Does your father like his fingernails? They’ll take them out one by one.”
The former government official lifted his phone to the food vendor, uttering, “Smile for me,” followed by laughter.
Seldowitz also made disparaging remarks about the Prophet Mohammed and mocked Islam.
Seldowitz confirmed to the Daily Beast that he was the person in the clips.
He claimed they only showed one side of the story, asserting the vendor had expressed support for Hamas, a claim the vendor denies.
Seldowitz, who served in the NSC from 2009 to 2011, expressed regret over the incident, stating he said things he shouldn’t have in the heat of the moment.
Following the incident, Gotham Government Relations, where Seldowitz’s profile was listed, distanced themselves from him, condemning his actions as “vile and racist.”
New York Mayor Eric Adams condemned the incident by stating, “Islamophobia is hate. Plain and simple. This vile, disrespectful rhetoric has no home in our city. We reject it – and we’re glad to see we’re not alone.”
Mohamed Attia of the Street Vendor Project, an advocacy group, shared that the vendor, identified only as Mohamed, had been facing harassment from Seldowitz since early November.
The vendor, who struggles with English, reportedly avoided engaging in complex customer discussions. The Street Vendor Project expressed their dismay over the Islamophobic nature of the harassment.
New York City Council member Julie Menin reported the incidents to the police, condemning them as “vile hate speech and harassment” and stating that there is no place for such hate in the community.
