Pair charged with hate crimes after spray painting Israeli flag: officials
Tabshir Rizvi (left) and Mohammed Faroun DuPage County Sheriff's Office
BLOOMINGDALE, Ill. - Two men were charged with hate crimes after allegedly defacing an Israeli flag at a Bloomingdale grocery store, officials announced Thursday.
Tabshir Rizvi, 23, and Mohammed Faroun, 22, were accused of spray painting "Free Gaza" on the flag at Woodman's Food Market on June 24, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.
The incident took place around 11:25 p.m. when Rizvi and Faroun reportedly used a can of red spray paint to deface the Israeli flag in the international food aisle before exiting the store. Following an investigation, Bloomingdale police identified the suspects, leading to Faroun's turning himself in Tuesday and Rizvi turning himself in Wednesday. Both have been released on personal recognizance.
Each suspect faces two counts of hate crime, a Class 4 felony, along with misdemeanor charges of criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct.
"I find the charges against these two men extremely disturbing," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement. "Hate crimes, such as alleged in this case, not only affect the intended target, but can also have a devastating effect on entire communities. As I have said before, DuPage County prides itself on being an extremely welcoming community to all and we will not tolerate any type of behavior based on hatred or prejudice."
The defendants' arraignment is set for Aug. 13, before Judge Daniel Guerin.