A Florida man became the sixth attacker indicted in the brutal caught-on-camera beating of a Jewish man in Times Square in 2021, Manhattan prosecutors said Thursday.
Salem Seleiman, 28, was arrested on a warrant on May 10 — nearly three years after he allegedly joined the hateful mob who pummeled victim Joseph Borgen during clashes between Israel and Palestinian supporters in Midtown.
Seleiman was part of a pack of men that hurled antisemitic slurs like “dirty Jew,” “filthy Jew” and “f–k Israel” at Borgen, who was wearing a yarmulke, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
The 29-year-old victim, who had been attending a pro-Israel rally when he was attacked May 20, 2021, was thrown to the ground, punched, hit with a crutch and pepper-sprayed — with footage of the vicious beating later going viral on social media.
As good Samaritans tried to intervene, Seleiman pretended to offer to help Borgen — only to then unload a kick in his face as he lay on the ground, prosecutors said.
“Seleiman’s alleged conduct was abhorrent and many of the other individuals who joined him have already been convicted and are serving state prison sentences,” DA Alvin Bragg said in a statement.
“Violently assaulting someone because of their religion is unacceptable, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners, community groups and local leaders to address attacks on the Jewish community.”
Seleiman, who was extradited from Tampa, Fla., was arraigned in Manhattan Supreme Court Thursday and pleaded not guilty to hate crime assault and attempted gang assault charges. Judge Felicia Mennin set his bail at $50,000.
Five other attackers have already been convicted and sentenced for their role in the attack, including Mahmoud Musa, 23, who was slapped with a heavy seven-year prison sentence in November.
Borgen, who has criticized the DA’s office handling of his case, says that he still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and wrist pain as a result of the attack, which left him with a concussion and other injuries.
He told The Post on Thursday that he was glad to see the men accused of beating him held accountable — but said he hopes that the DA’s office will hold other antisemitic and hate crime attacks to the same standard.
“It’s good to see that at least in my case there was accountability and justice, but hopefully that can be the norm moving forward as it relates to antisemitic and hate crimes of all types … especially when we see other cases that aren’t being taken seriously enough, like the Columbia University case,” Borgen said.
Bragg has faced backlash for recently dropping charges against anti-Israel Columbia protesters — with dozens of protesters flocked his office building last week, claiming the DA was setting a “strikingly dangerous precedent.”
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