A California man accused in an antisemitic hate-crime case became agitated at a New York City courthouse after discovering that the Daily Mail was covering his hearing.
Christopher Husary, 38, is accused of threatening and harassing a Jewish man on the subway in June 2024 by directing antisemitic statements at him.
Several months earlier, Husary allegedly knocked a woman to the ground at a pro-Israel demonstration in California, took her Israeli flag and set it on fire.
He pleaded guilty to robbery with a hate-crime enhancement and was sentenced on October 9, 2024, to 364 days in jail followed by two years of probation.
Public records show that, at the time of the alleged subway incident and the California crime, the then-36-year-old was living with his parents at their $1.8 million home in the Bay Area.
Following his California sentencing, NYPD officers waited outside the courthouse to take Husary to New York. There, he was indicted on charges of attempted coercion as a hate crime and aggravated harassment. He pleaded not guilty and was released under supervision.
Husary appeared in Manhattan criminal court on Wednesday morning. Before the hearing, he approached the Daily Mail in the hallway outside the courtroom, where he used his phone to take photographs and record video.
Asked by the Daily Mail to confirm his identity, Husary denied that he was Christopher Husary. He then became increasingly confrontational and claimed that a Daily Mail photographer had been “compromised” by Israel.
Christopher Husary, 38, appeared in Manhattan criminal court on Wednesday. He is accused of directing antisemitic abuse at a Jewish man on the subway
Husary approached the Daily Mail in the hallway outside the courtroom and began photographing and recording with his phone
He grew increasingly confrontational and bizarrely claimed that a Daily Mail photographer had been “compromised” by Israel
“America first or Israel first?” Husary repeatedly asked the photographer, who declined to respond to the agitated man.
“See, you can’t even say it,” Husary replied. “You’re compromised.”
The aspiring activist was carrying a backpack with a campaign flyer for Mayor Zohran Mamdani visible in a side pocket. He then said, “Free Palestine and stop killing children,” before entering the wrong courtroom.
He came back several minutes later and entered the correct courtroom when it opened.
About six Jewish New Yorkers also entered the room to observe the hearing. One of them wore a T-shirt reading “Fire Mamdani.”
The hearing was expected to determine whether the case would proceed to trial. However, Judge Julieta Lozano said Husary’s attorney could no longer represent him because of medical reasons.
Lozano postponed the hearing until November 10, allowing Husary’s new attorney, Taylor Koss, time to review the evidence and become familiar with the case.
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The Daily Mail has contacted Koss for comment.
Lozano noted that Husary had attended most of his previous hearings virtually from California.
Husary was convicted of a previous hate crime in California before being extradited to New York. He is pictured in Manhattan court on Wednesday
The presiding judge said Husary had attended most of his previous New York hearings virtually from California
Public records indicate that Husary now lives in a $2,800 per month three-bedroom apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn. It is unclear whether he works in the city.
According to prosecutors, Husary vandalized a subway car two years ago by drawing an inverted red triangle with a marker on the train door. At the time, he was dressed in a Hezbollah T-shirt and had a scarf wrapped around his face.
The Anti-Defamation League recognizes the upside-down red triangle as a hate symbol that first appeared in Hamas propaganda videos to mark Israeli military targets.
The symbol has since been spray-painted on Jewish homes and institutions, often alongside antisemitic and threatening slogans, according to the organization.
As Husary committed his alleged vandalism, a Jewish lawyer named Joshua Savitt snapped a picture.
Savitt was on his way home from an exhibit memorializing the victims of the October 7 massacre by Hamas, which had been swarmed by pro-Hamas demonstrators.
Husary noticed when Savitt took the photo and immediately approached him, demanding that he delete it, prosecutors said.
When Savitt refused, Husary said, ‘Yo, we got a Zionist over here’ and ‘We’ll find you and there will be consequences,’ according to prosecutors.
When Husary committed his alleged and proven antisemitic crimes, the then 36-year-old wannabe activist was living with his parents at their $1.8 million Bay Area home in California
Husary allegedly hurled antisemitic abuse at Joshua Savitt (pictured with his family) on October 9, 2024, after Savitt took a picture of him vandalizing the subway with a hate symbol
Husary also allegedly told Savitt, who was wearing a yarmulke, ‘You’re not a real Jew.’
When Husary was indicted in 2024, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said: ‘Christopher Husary tried to force a Jewish man to comply with his demands by spewing antisemitic comments and threats at him.
‘We will continue using all the tools at our disposal to hold those accountable who commit acts driven by hate and discrimination.’