Muslim college professor Loay Alnaji is scheduled to be sentenced June 30 in connection with the death of Jewish demonstrator Paul Kessler in November 2023. Newly surfaced body camera footage from the day of the incident, shared exclusively with RedState, appears to challenge the account presented by Alnaji’s defense attorney.
Alnaji was among the organizers of a group protesting Israel in Thousand Oaks, California, on Nov. 5, 2023. According to accounts of the incident, he crossed two major roads to approach Kessler, who was standing on an opposite corner holding an Israeli flag. After the two men exchanged words, Kessler began recording Alnaji on his phone. An eyewitness later said Alnaji then struck Kessler, describing the blow as having “decked” him.
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Alnaji’s attorney, Ron Bamieh, has maintained that his client acted in self-defense and described him as “not a violent man.” Bamieh said Alnaji “was at a rally exercising his right to protest” before “a tragic chain of events followed.” According to the defense, Kessler approached demonstrators and shouted for them to “stop beheading babies.” Bamieh said that when Kessler turned toward Alnaji with his phone pointed at him, Alnaji swiped at the device while holding a megaphone and unintentionally hit Kessler on the side of the head. Kessler then fell and struck his head on the pavement, the attorney said.
In early May, Alnaji entered an open guilty plea to one count of involuntary manslaughter and one felony count of battery causing serious bodily injury. The charges included a serious felony enhancement, along with aggravating factors alleging weapons use and that the victim was vulnerable on both counts. Bamieh said Ventura County Superior Court Judge Derek Malan indicated he would sentence Alnaji to one year in prison followed by three years of probation. Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko’s office has opposed a probationary sentence, as has Kessler’s family.
