Six men from the greater Pittsburgh area were indicted Monday on federal hate crime and obstruction charges stemming from a 2024 antisemitic assault on a Jewish University of Pittsburgh student.

A federal grand jury charged Muhammed Koc, 27, of Pittsburgh; Omar Alshmari, 28, of Monroeville; Abraham Choudhry, 22, of Monroeville; Emirhan Arslan, 24, of McKees Rocks; Ali Alkhaleel, 19, of Pittsburgh; and Adeel Piracha, 22, of Murrysville, with violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, obstructing justice, and conspiring to obstruct justice.

According to the seven-count indictment, the group — excluding Piracha — approached a passerby in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood at around 2 a.m. on Sept. 27, 2024, after spotting a Star of David pendant around his neck. Prosecutors say the group directed antisemitic statements at the victim before Koc and Alshmari physically attacked him, leaving him with a split lip and headaches.

The indictment charges Koc and Alshmari with willfully causing bodily injury because of the victim’s actual and perceived race and religion.

Prosecutors say that in the hours and months that followed, the defendants discussed the incident in group chats and social media messages, with Alshmari identifying himself and Koc as two of the individuals named in a University of Pittsburgh Police crime alert about the assault. Both men also admitted in text messages to their involvement in the attack, according to the indictment.

Federal prosecutors say the defendants then conspired to cover it up, agreeing to align their testimony before a federal grand jury and providing false and misleading statements. Several defendants allegedly lied about whether they had struck the victim, whether the assault was connected to his Jewish identity and his necklace, and whether they had coordinated their accounts ahead of testifying.

“As alleged in the indictment, this incident began with two defendants physically attacking an individual because of the victim’s Jewish identity,” said U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “Then, these defendants corruptly colluded with one another to provide false and misleading testimony before a federal grand jury.”

Attorney General Pamela Bondi pledged to prosecute the case “to the fullest extent of the law,” adding that the Justice Department “will always protect the First Amendment right to worship freely and without fear for Jewish Americans and all Americans of faith.” FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau “will simply not allow” obstruction of justice “to happen without consequence.”

The hate crime and obstruction counts each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000. The conspiracy count carries a maximum of five years.

Jewish community leaders in Pittsburgh welcomed the charges. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh said the indictment “brings a measure of relief and reaffirms that Jewish identity is worth protecting,” and that attacks on people for their Jewish identity “will not go unanswered.”

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