Mohammed Said Othman Sentenced to 3 Years in State Prison 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the sentence of MOHAMMED SAID OTHMAN, 29, to 3 years in state prison for a 2021 antisemitic attack on a 29-year-old Jewish man in Times Square. SAID OTHMAN is the third defendant sentenced to state prison time in this case. MAHMOUD MUSA, 25, was sentenced to 7 years in state prison on November 21, 2023, and MOHAMMED OTHMAN, 26, was sentenced to 5 ½ years in state prison on December 20, 2023.

On September 27, 2023, MUSA and OTHMAN each pleaded guilty in a New York State Supreme Court to one count of Assault in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime. On September 29, 2023, SAID OTHMAN pleaded guilty in a New York State Supreme Court to one count of Attempted Gang Assault in the Second Degree and one count of Assault in the Third Degree as a Hate Crime.  

“These defendants violently targeted and assaulted another individual simply because he is Jewish,” said District Attorney Bragg. “While this Office will always support the right to peacefully protest and engage in open dialogue, these multi-year prison sentences make clear that physically attacking someone because of their religion is never acceptable. I thank our Hate Crimes Unit for its diligent work in this case.”   

As admitted in their guilty pleas, and according to court documents and statements made on the record in court, on May 20, 2021, a Pro-Israel rally and a counter Pro-Palestine rally occurred in Times Square. In the days leading up to the rally, the defendants coordinated their attendance and discussed ways to conceal their identities. OTHMAN told the defendants that he would not let the rally be peaceful, while SAID OTHMAN said he wanted to burn an Israeli flag.  

At approximately 7:00 p.m., the defendants, who attended in support of the Pro-Palestine group, left the protest and began walking uptown on Broadway, where they encountered the victim who was wearing a yarmulke.   

The victim was confronted by the defendants and chased down the street. SAID OTHMAN eventually grabbed the victim, threw him to the ground, sat on his chest and repeatedly punched him in the face.     

Once the victim was on the ground, OTHMAN, MUSA and other individuals assaulted the victim. MUSA kicked the victim in the head several times, while OTHMAN kicked and repeatedly pepper-sprayed him. OTHMAN also pepper-sprayed bystanders who attempted to intervene and stop the assault. The defendants hurled antisemitic remarks at the victim during the attack.

Assistant D.A.s Jonathon Junig (Human Trafficking Unit) and Tyler Keefe (Rackets Bureau) handled the prosecution of this case, under the supervision of Assistant D.A.s Constantine Coritsidis (Deputy Chief of the Hate Crimes Unit), Hannah Yu (Chief of the Hate Crimes Unit), and Executive D.A. Lisa Del Pizzo (Chief of the Trial Division). Zoe Fleishaker (Hate Crimes Investigative Analyst), Julie Anne Lim (Senior Hate Crimes Investigative Analyst), and former Senior Investigative Analyst Caitie Kang provided valuable assistance in this case.  

D.A. Bragg thanked members of the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force, especially Detective Alfred Genao.  

Defendant Information:

MOHAMOUD MUSA
Staten Island, NY

Convicted:

• Assault in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime, a class C felony, one count

Sentenced:

• 7 years in state prison, 5 years post-release supervision

MOHAMMED OTHMAN
Staten Island, NY

Convicted:

• Assault in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime, a class C felony, one count

Sentenced:

• 5 1/2 years in state prison, 5 years post-release supervision

MOHAMMED SAID OTHMAN
Brooklyn, NY

Convicted:

• Attempted Gang Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony, one count
• Assault in the Third Degree as a Hate Crime, a class E felony, one count

Sentenced:

•  3 years in state prison, 3 years post-release supervision

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