In a shocking incident that has garnered nationwide attention, a former career State Department official and Obama administration employee, Stuart Seldowitz, was arrested on Wednesday after several videos of him spewing hateful rhetoric at a halal cart worker went viral. The incident took place at an Upper East Side food cart on Second Avenue and 83rd Street.

Seldowitz, 64, is now facing multiple charges, including aggravated harassment, hate crime, and stalking. The videos show him engaging in a series of hateful rants directed at the Adam Halal Food Cart worker. In one video, Seldowitz can be heard saying, "I'm gonna put big signs here that say, 'This guy believes in Hamas,' "You're a terrorist, you support terrorism," and "If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, you know what, it wasn't enough."

According to Mohamed Hussein, 24, who works at the halal cart, Seldowitz approached him and asked where he was from. When Hussein replied that he was from Egypt, Seldowitz began accusing him of supporting Hamas. Hussein then started filming the encounter, but the video does not capture the initial interaction.

CBS New York attempted to reach out to Seldowitz for comment, but he did not respond. Other news outlets reported that Seldowitz alleged that Hussein had expressed support for Hamas, which angered him. However, Hussein denies these claims and hopes that Seldowitz will apologize rather than trying to distort the truth.

The owners of the cart, Islam Moustafa and Yasser Nawer, expressed their dismay at the situation. Moustafa stated, "We have no problem with nobody. Don't try to create a problem. People could die for something like this." Nawer questioned Seldowitz's motives for continuously provoking tensions amidst the already heightened conflict in the Middle East. He remarked, "I don't know what you're trying to do, trying to say. Situation is very irritated anyway, we don't need more spice in the situation."

However, despite the troubling incident, the community has come together in support of the halal cart workers. Upper East Side resident Stephanie Merabet praised the cart owners, saying, "They're really wonderful people and they care about the community that they're in, and they certainly don't deserve this." Neighbors even set up a table next to the cart, encouraging people to sit down and eat together.

Sadly, this incident is not an isolated one. Since the Israel-Hamas War began on October 7th, there has been a significant rise in antisemitic and anti-Muslim incidents. The Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit organization fighting antisemitism and extremism, has reported a staggering 316% increase in antisemitic incidents in the United States compared to the same period last year. Similarly, the Council on American-Islamic Relations has witnessed a 216% increase in requests for help and reports of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias.

Seldowitz, speaking before his arrest, claimed that the videos did not tell the whole story and that he only became upset after Hussein expressed support for the Hamas attack on Israel. However, his actions caught on camera have led to his arrest. Seldowitz had previously worked in the State Department, serving as the acting director for the National Security Council's South Asia directorate during the Obama administration. He also had a role in the State Department's office of Israel and Palestinian affairs.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller emphasized that the United States unequivocally opposes any form of racist or discriminatory language. As this case unfolds, it serves as a reminder of the importance of promoting tolerance and understanding amidst the ongoing conflicts and tensions in the Middle East.