A Brooklyn man with a history of anti-Israel activism has been indicted on federal arson charges for allegedly setting fire to multiple New York Police Department vehicles during a protest in June, federal prosecutors announced.

Jakhi McCray, 21, is accused of carrying out a premeditated arson attack that destroyed 10 NYPD vehicles and a trailer in Bushwick on the night of June 12. According to the Justice Department, surveillance footage captured McCray entering a police parking lot and methodically igniting fires over a 30-minute period. Investigators later recovered a cigar lighter and a pair of sunglasses bearing his fingerprints, as well as more than 30 fire starters hidden beneath additional vehicles.

�The arson attack against New York City Police Department vehicles in Bushwick, Brooklyn, was as cowardly as it was criminal,� said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch in a statement. �The defendant in this case may have wanted to send a message, but all he did was mobilize the full force of the NYPD, the ATF and the FDNY to identify, locate, and arrest him.�

If convicted, McCray faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.

Federal authorities confirmed that McCray has been involved in anti-Israel demonstrations since the October 7 Hamas-led terror attack in Israel, and is currently wanted for unrelated acts of criminal mischief tied to the vandalism of a statue at Columbia University.

The NYPD noted the timing of the arson attack�just two days before a planned �Global March to Gaza NYC� protest�as part of the context of their investigation.

In a statement following the indictment, McCray played victim.

�The federal government has labeled me �armed and dangerous� and blasted a $30,000 bounty for my capture,� he said. �Zionist and white supremacist news outlets have happily supported [this] in their racist doxxing and smear campaign against me.�

He can cry about it to his cellmates.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)