BLOOMINGDALE, Ill. — Two men accused of spray-painting the words “FREE GAZA” on an Israeli flag outside a northwestern suburban grocery store last month are now facing hate crime charges.
Prosecutors say the alleged incident occurred just before 11:30 p.m. on Monday, June 24, at a Woodman’s Food Market on Stratford Drive in Bloomingdale.
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Tabshir Rizvi, a 23-year-old Bloomingdale resident, and Mohammed Faroun, a 22-year-old Hoffman Estates resident, have each been charged with two counts of hate crime, as well as additional misdemeanors of destruction of property and public disorderly conduct.
Prosecutors said the two men entered the supermarket and grabbed a can of red spray paint, then walked to the international food section, where an Israeli flag was displayed.
The men then allegedly climbed onto the scaffolding beneath the flag and painted the text “FREE GAZA” on the flag.
After the alleged incident, the two men left the store.
An investigation was launched and authorities identified Rizvi and Faroun as suspects in the case.
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According to prosecutors, Faroun eventually turned himself in to authorities on Tuesday, July 16, and Rizvi turned himself in the following day.
Both men were subsequently released on personal recognizance and are due to appear in court on August 13.
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