Police in New York City have arrested Stuart Seldowitz, a former US State Department official, on Wednesday night after he was filmed telling an Egyptian halal food vendor that killing "4,000 Palestinian children, it wasn’t enough”.
Seldowitz, 64, was arrested on charges of aggravated harassment, hate crime stalking, stalking causing fear, and stalking at a place of employment, police said in a statement.
“A 24-year-old male victim stated to police that an individual approached him at his workplace multiple times and made anti-Islamic statements multiple times on different dates causing the victim to feel afraid and annoyed,” police said, according to the Reuters news agency.
Seldowitz was deputy director in the US State Department’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs. He was later National Security Council advisor to President Barack Obama.
Three videos surfaced online in recent days showing Seldowitz launching racist and anti-Islamic tirades against Mohamed Hussein, a 24-year-old New York City food truck vendor.