Former Obama administration official Stuart Seldowitz has been captured in a series of videos using hate-laden and Islamophobic language to taunt a New York City food cart vendor, Mohamed Hussein. The incidents occurred at the Adam Halal Food Cart on New York's Upper East Side. In the videos, Seldowitz can be heard ridiculing Hussein's Islamic faith, taunting him about his immigration status, and threatening his family in Egypt. Hussein recorded the encounters and the videos have since gone viral after being posted on social media.

The first incident took place on November 7 when Seldowitz allegedly pushed open the food truck window and began insulting Hussein's religion. He accused Hussein of supporting Hamas and called him a terrorist. Seldowitz continued to harass Hussein on three more occasions over the following weeks, insulting him and his family. Hussein, speaking in Arabic with the help of food truck owner Islam Moustafa as a translator, said he was terrified and kept quiet during the encounters.

Hussein shared the cellphone footage with a friend, and it quickly went viral after being posted online. The videos caught the attention of the NYPD, who had initially failed to respond when the staff reported the incidents. On Wednesday, NYPD sources confirmed that Seldowitz had been taken into custody on charges including hate crime.

Seldowitz, who worked on Israel-Palestine policy for the US State Department, has adamantly denied making pro-Hamas statements. However, the videos clearly depict him insulting the Prophet Muhammad and berating Hussein over the Israel-Hamas war. In one video, Seldowitz even threatens Hussein's family, referencing Egypt's feared intelligence service, the Mukhabarat.

The owner of the food truck, Islam Moustafa, expressed his confidence that the racist remarks were unprovoked and stated that his staff had been trying to defuse the situation. Moustafa added that he was interested in pursuing civil legal action against Seldowitz and appreciated offers of pro bono representation from lawyers.

Since the video went viral, Hussein and Moustafa have received an outpouring of support from the community. Customers and community members have reached out to offer their support, and some have even brought coffee to the staff members. Moustafa, who has been in the US for over 20 years, stated that he had never experienced this level of racism before and expressed his hope for justice in the situation.

Seldowitz, who was until recently the Foreign Affairs Chair at Gotham Government Relations, has been severed from all ties with the company. President David Schwarz stated that the video of Seldowitz's actions was vile, racist, and beneath the dignity of the standards practiced at the firm.

The incident comes at a time when the US is experiencing an increase in reported anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias incidents, as well as a spike in antisemitic incidents. The NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force is currently investigating the incident.