Person against Israel accused of committing violent hate crime against two Jewish students at college

An Illinois man has been charged in the violent hate crime attack on two Jewish students at DePaul University last year. 

Adam Erkan, 20, is facing four felony charges, including two counts of hate crime and two counts of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm. 

Erkan is accused by prosecutors of assaulting Max Long and Michael Kaminsky while they were peacefully promoting the Israeli cause on DePaul University’s campus in Chicago on Nov. 6. Authorities mentioned they were also in search of a second suspect at the time.

DePaul University officials expressed their gratitude towards the police for their investigation leading to the arrest of the suspect. The university clarified that the suspect is not part of the university community and reiterated their stance against hate and violence, particularly condemning antisemitism in any form.

Recently, Long and Kaminsky, with the support of The Lawfare Project, took legal action by filing a lawsuit against DePaul University. They claimed that university officials allowed antisemitic language to spread throughout the campus.

“We appreciate the work the Chicago Police Department did to identify and apprehend this suspect, and expect the State Attorney to vigorously prosecute this as the conspiracy and hate crime attack it was,” Gerard Filitti, The Lawfare Project Senior Counsel, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“We have every confidence that the second attacker will be apprehended shortly. As the judge made clear at yesterday’s hearing, the evidence shows a plan to attack Max and Michael, and its methodical implementation. It is highly significant that the defendant, Adam Erkan, was denied bail, clearly signaling that he remains a danger to the Jewish community, and setting an important precedent in the prosecution of hate crimes.”

Fox News’ Max Bacall and Mike Tobin contributed to this report.