A northern New Jersey man has pleaded not guilty to charges that he threw lit firecrackers outside a synagogue while shouting “Allahu akbar.”

NJ.com reports 21-year-old Rizek Musheisen, of Clifton, entered the plea Monday in state Superior Court. He faces two counts of bias intimidation.

Authorities say Musheisen got out of a car in April in front of a Passaic synagogue and lit the firecrackers while yelling the Arabic phrase for “God is great.”

Musheisen’s attorney, Harley Breite, says his client “is not a racist” and won’t consider a plea deal. He remains free on bail.

Breite also questioned why other men in the car, including the driver, weren’t charged.

(AP)