- November 7, 2023
Indiana woman crashes car ‘on purpose’ into ‘Jewish school’: Police – Times of India
A woman in Indiana has been detained after purportedly driving her car into a building she mistook for a Jewish school. The suspect, 34-year-old Ruba Almaghtheh, is accused of reversing her vehicle into a structure affiliated with the Black Hebrew Israelites in Indianapolis, where several adults and children were present at the time. Fortunately, the incident resulted in no injuries.
Almaghtheh confessed to deliberately targeting the building, which is the site of the Israelite School of Universal and Practical Knowledge, due to her objection to a symbol representing “Hebrew Israelite” displayed outside.Following her arrest, she admitted to the act and mentioned her connections to Palestine while referring to the building as the “Israel school.”
The building in question is linked to a sect of the Black Hebrew Israelites, not a Jewish institution, as clarified by the Anti-Defamation League. Despite the misidentification, the incident has prompted the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis to collaborate with local security programs to investigate further and reinforce security measures within the community.
Almaghtheh, who the police have labeled a “terrorist,” faces preliminary charges of criminal recklessness and is scheduled for an initial court appearance on Wednesday.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) has informed the FBI of the arrest, and the FBI is reportedly collaborating with the local police on the case.
This incident occurs against a backdrop of increasing domestic hate crimes in the US, with the Department of Homeland Security recently issuing a warning about a heightened threat environment due to the escalation of conflict between Israel and Hamas. FBI director Christopher Wray also highlighted the disproportionate number of hate crimes against Jewish people in the United States, noting that while they constitute only 2.4% of the US population, they are victims of nearly 60% of all religious-based hate crimes.
Almaghtheh confessed to deliberately targeting the building, which is the site of the Israelite School of Universal and Practical Knowledge, due to her objection to a symbol representing “Hebrew Israelite” displayed outside.Following her arrest, she admitted to the act and mentioned her connections to Palestine while referring to the building as the “Israel school.”
The building in question is linked to a sect of the Black Hebrew Israelites, not a Jewish institution, as clarified by the Anti-Defamation League. Despite the misidentification, the incident has prompted the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis to collaborate with local security programs to investigate further and reinforce security measures within the community.
Almaghtheh, who the police have labeled a “terrorist,” faces preliminary charges of criminal recklessness and is scheduled for an initial court appearance on Wednesday.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) has informed the FBI of the arrest, and the FBI is reportedly collaborating with the local police on the case.
This incident occurs against a backdrop of increasing domestic hate crimes in the US, with the Department of Homeland Security recently issuing a warning about a heightened threat environment due to the escalation of conflict between Israel and Hamas. FBI director Christopher Wray also highlighted the disproportionate number of hate crimes against Jewish people in the United States, noting that while they constitute only 2.4% of the US population, they are victims of nearly 60% of all religious-based hate crimes.
