Man attacked two Jewish students with bottle

PITTSBURGH – Authorities are investigating a possible hate crime after a man attacked two Jewish University of Pittsburgh students with a glass bottle Friday night.

According to a criminal complaint, two students wearing Jewish kippahs were walking around campus near the school’s Cathedral of Learning when one of them locked eyes with a man sitting at a table across the street, NBC reports. The man, identified as 52-year-old Jarrett Buba, was wearing a keffiyeh, a piece of clothing commonly associated with support for Palestine, the complaint says.

Buba then allegedly ran across the street and attacked the two students from behind with a green soda bottle. One of the victims managed to throw Buba to the ground, according to WTAE. A Pittsburgh police officer on patrol heard the people’s cries for help and signaled for help from a University of Pittsburgh patrol car. Buba reportedly resisted, but officers were eventually able to apprehend and arrest him.

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Both victims suffered superficial lacerations, one to the cheek and the other to the neck. The victims were treated at the scene by paramedics, but one was taken to the hospital to be evaluated for a possible concussion. He was released several hours later.

Buba was charged with two counts of assault, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, two counts of harassment and one count of resisting arrest. While in custody, Buba gave several false names, according to officials. He was denied bail and is being held in the Allegheny County Jail.

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Attack on University of Pittsburgh is being investigated as a possible hate crime

The FBI’s Pittsburgh office sent agents to the scene to investigate the incident as a possible hate crime. Police said the investigation is ongoing.

In a statement Friday evening, a University of Pittsburgh spokesperson said campus officials had contacted the Hillel University Center and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to offer support to students.

“While we do not believe this incident poses an ongoing threat to the public, we recognize that incidents such as this are troubling to our Pitt community,” the spokesperson wrote. “To be clear: neither acts of violence nor anti-Semitism will be tolerated.”

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University of Pittsburgh police said they do not believe the incident is connected to a previous violent incident reported at the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, which is across the street from the Cathedral of Learning. Pittsburgh police said a man was shot in the leg around 5:30 p.m. and was transported in stable condition.

At a pro-Palestinian protest outside the Cathedral of Learning last spring, demonstrators demanded that the university divest from its investments in Israel and its allies.