Three charged with ethnic intimidation for threatening Jewish men with a gun in Northeast Philly, prosecutor says
Authorities say Aueb Salahedein, Adam Anse, and Ahmad Twan threatened three Jewish men outside Bluegrass Billiards and damaged a car's windshield with the butt of a gun.
Three men who shouted antisemitic slurs at three Jewish men, then threatened them with a gun outside a Northeast Philadelphia pool hall, have been charged with ethnic intimidation, terroristic threats, and related crimes, District Attorney Larry Krasner said Thursday.
Aueb Salahedein, Adam Anse, and Ahmad Twan were charged in connection with a June 20 incident in which authorities say they taunted and threatened the men after striking up a conversation with them outside Bluegrass Billiards, on the 9400 block of Bluegrass Road.
The six were talking at around 1 a.m., prosecutors said, when Salahedein, Anse, and Twan learned that the others were Jewish and began hurling racial slurs.
Then, Salahedein took out a gun from his crossbody bag and pointed it at the three men, who rushed to their vehicle to flee. Salahedein struck the vehicle’s windshield with the butt of the gun, causing it to crack, prosecutors said.
As Salahedein, Anse, and Twandrove away in a BMW, the victims took down the car’s license plate, and their assailants were later arrested.
Salahedein, 22,and Twam and Anse, both 19, were charged with ethnic intimidation, terroristic threats, conspiracy, and related crimes. Salahedein, who had purchased the gun 12 days earlier, also faces felony firearms charges.
An attorney for Twam could not immediately be reached. It was unclear if Salahedein and Anse had hired attorneys.
All three men are out on bail, court records show.
At a news conference Thursday, Andrew Goretsky, Philadelphia regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said the crime was part of what he described as a disturbing increase in antisemitic acts in the city and beyond.
“We’re witnessing a troubling rise in antisemitism and hate in all forms,” he said. “And it’s critical to confront this growing threat.” He said the incident was “an attack on our shared humanity.”
Krasner said Thursday that the charges “should serve as a warning to others who may engage in this abhorrent behavior” and vowed to prosecute such crimes.
The announcement of the charges comes just days after vandals struck a historic synagogue near Old City, defacing a memorial statue in front of the building, attempting to break into the synagogue, and starting a fire in a dumpster.
Police continue to investigate those incidents.