VENTURA — A judge decided Wednesday that a Moorpark College professor will stand trial for involuntary manslaughter and battery in the death of a Jewish counter-protester during demonstrations in Thousand Oaks over the Israel-Hamas war last year.
Superior Court Judge Ryan Wright judge declared after a two-day preliminary hearing that there’s enough evidence to try Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
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Paul Kessler, who suffered a head injury during a Thousand Oaks protest on Nov. 5 over the Israel-Hamas war, receives assistance after falling. Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, pictured seated at the right and pointing towards Kessler, was arrested on Thursday in connection with his death. (Photo by Jonathan Oswaks )
Alnaji, 51, is accused of striking Paul Kessler with a megaphone in November during a confrontation at an event that started as a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Thousand Oaks, a suburb northwest of Los Angeles.
Kessler, 69, fell backward and struck his head on the pavement. He died the next day at a hospital.
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Pro-Israel supporters gather on Nov. 12, 2023, near the site in Thousand Oaks where protester Paul Kessler was assaulted on Nov. 5. Kessler later died. A Moorpark man was arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter on Nov. 16. (Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Alnaji was charged with two felonies: involuntary manslaughter and battery causing serious bodily injury, with special allegations of personally inflicting great bodily harm injury on each count, the DA’s office said. If found guilty of all charges, he could be sentenced to more than four years in prison.
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Alnaji posted $50,000 bail. An email and phone message for Alnaji’s lawyer, Ron Bamieh, weren’t immediately returned Wednesday.
Alnaji, a professor of computer science at Moorpark College, had espoused pro-Palestinian views on his Facebook page and other social media accounts, many of which were taken down in the days after Kessler’s death, according to the Los Angeles Times.