An Ohio man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly lied about being the victim of a hate crime involving anti-Palestinian slurs.
According to WKYC citing North Ridgeville Police Department Hesham A. Ayyad, 20, came to a hospital in the area on October 22 and told officers he was hit by a vehicle during an “racially-motivated” incident.
The Cleveland Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called the next day for an investigation to be conducted into Ayyad’s claims.
In a press release, Faten Odeh said, “We urge state, local, and federal law enforcement authorities to monitor and conduct investigations into crimes related to rising Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian, and anti-Muslim racism.” We hope that the North Ridgeville Police Department, and the FBI, will gather all the necessary information to charge this person with a hate crime. We should feel safe walking down the street, going to the store, or to school.
CAIR stated in a release that Ayyad claimed that he had been walking home after lunch when he was struck by a person in a dark SUV as he walked along the road.
Ayyad claims that the driver aggressively swerved his SUV, rolled down the windows, and shouted “Kill all Palestinians!” and “Long Live Israel.”
The driver allegedly then turned around and hit the victim while yelling “Die!”
WKYC reports that police found Ayyad’s allegations to be fabricated.
The police confirmed to the local radio station that Ayyad had never been struck by a car or subjected to racial insults.
Police found out after reviewing the video that Khalil A. Ayyad, 19, had been injured in a fight earlier.
WKYC reported both brothers have been arrested and charged with domestic violence and assault.
Hersham Ayyad has also been accused of false alarms, falsification, and obstructing the official business.
Both brothers posted bonds and were released on Wednesday.
