Suspect charged with hate crime in attack on two Jewish students in Chicago

By Kanishka Singh

A suspect was charged with a hate crime for a November attack on two Jewish students who were demonstrating in support of Israel at Chicago's DePaul University, the university and local officials said on Thursday.

Two masked men attacked the students, resulting in minor injuries. One victim was a former member of the Israel Defense Forces who was wearing a sign identifying him as such.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Rights advocates have noted rising hate against American Jews, Muslims and Arabs since the start of U.S. ally Israel's military assault on Gaza after an October 2023 attack by Palestinian Islamist Hamas militants.

KEY QUOTES

"The Chicago Police Department and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office confirmed a person of interest tied to the antisemitic attack that occurred at DePaul on November 6, 2024, has been arrested and charged with two counts of a hate crime and two counts of aggravated battery with great bodily harm," the university said.

CONTEXT

The suspect, Adam Erkan, 20, of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, could not immediately be reached for comment. Officials said police were still searching for the second attacker.

CBS News cited one victim as saying he was leading a campus discussion about the war when the assault happened.

In another incident in Illinois related to the Israel-Gaza war, a jury in February found a man guilty of murder and hate crime charges for an October 2023 stabbing that killed a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy and severely wounded his mother.