A hateful man accused of slugging a Jewish man wearing an Israeli military hoodie on a Brooklyn street struck a plea deal in the antisemitic attack, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Suleiman Othman, 28, was accused of punching Blake Zavadsky twice and tossing an iced coffee on him — simply because Zavadsky was wearing an Israel Defense Forces sweatshirt — on Dec. 26, 2021, in Bay Ridge.
Othman, of Staten Island, pleaded guilty to attempted third-degree assault as a hate crime in Brooklyn Supreme Court on Monday.
Under the terms of a plea deal, Othman is slated to receive a 60-day jail term and three years’ probation at his Sept. 20 sentencing, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. NGO StopAntisemitism shared the news on Twitter.
Another rabid antisemite is heading to prison!
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) May 30, 2023
Suleiman Othman received jail time for his role in the Dec. 2021 assault of Jewish man Blake Zavadsky.
Othman plead guilty to attempted assault as a hate crime and will spend 2 months in prison, followed by 3 years of probation. pic.twitter.com/38rJhlloaJ
The victim had been standing outside a Foot Locker in Bay Ridge wearing a green hoodie with a yellow IDF emblem when Othman came up to him and said, “Why do you support those dirty Jews?,” prosecutors said.
“What are you doing in my neighborhood? You mess with the killers. If you don’t take off your hoodie, I’m going to punch you,” Othman continued, according to the DA’s Office.
Zavadsky refused to take off the sweatshirt, prompting Othman to attack him, prosecutors said.
Othman fled and wasn’t arrested until Jan. 11, 2022 — after he was caught on multiple surveillance cameras, the DA’s Office said.
“The hateful and unprovoked assault this defendant admitted to today left one victim hurt, but also shook an entire community,” District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. “His conviction, jail time and probation should send a message that this kind of intolerance has serious consequences.”
A day after the antisemitic attack, Zavadsky told The Post he wouldn’t stop wearing the sweatshirt.
“You can’t be scared to walk outside and say you’re Jewish,” he said. “You have to be proud of who you are and stand up for what you believe — and not be intimidated.”
Othman’s criminal defense attorney Muhammad Ikhlas declined to comment Tuesday.