Mohammed Faroun
Two men have been charged with committing a hate crime for defacing an Israeli flag in a Bloomingdale grocery store.
Tabshir A. Rizvi, 23, of the 100 block of Franklin Street in Bloomingdale, and Mohammed A. Faroun, 22, of the 200 block of Bode Road in Hoffman Estates, are each charged with two felony counts of hate crime.
In addition, they are charged with misdemeanor criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct.
Tabshir Rizvi
The charges allege that around 11:50 p.m. June 24, the two took a can of red spray paint off a shelf at the Woodman’s store. They then went to an international foods aisle, climbed the shelving, and painted “Free Gaza” on the decorative flag.
The charges allege that Faroun videotaped the incident.
Rizvi turned himself in on Monday and Faroun on Wednesday. Both are free pretrial. They are due to be arraigned Aug. 13.
“I find the charges against these two men extremely disturbing,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release. “Hate crimes, such as alleged in this case, not only affect the intended target, but can also have a devastating effect on entire communities. As I have said before, DuPage County prides itself on being an extremely welcoming community to all and we will not tolerate any type of behavior based on hatred or prejudice.”