Ohio doctor arrested for 'running Jewish congressman off road' while chanting 'Death to Israel
An Ohio doctor was arrested after a congressman claimed he forced him off the road while chanting 'death to Israel.'
Feras Hamdan, 36, of Avon, turned himself in to cops following the alleged incident on Thursday morning while Republican Max Miller was driving on I-90.
According to police, Miller had called 911 and said that as he was driving to work a man hit his horn and ran him off the road while waving the flag of Palestine.
Miller, who is Jewish, also claims that the man shouted 'death to Israel' and threatened to kill him and his family. Hamdan is a doctor with a private practice.
Hamdan appeared in court on Friday were he pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated menacing and ethnic intimidation.
According to Cleveland19 he received a $500,000 cash-assured bond during the arraignment inside Rocky River Municipal Court.
The outlet reported that Hamdan was also ordered to surrender his passport and to avoid contacting Miller and his family. He is expected back in court next month.
Miller said in a post to his X account on Thursday that he was run off the road by what he described as an 'unhinged, deranged man' in another vehicle.
The lawmaker said he is a 'staunch defender of Israel' in his post, and that the driver had been waving a Palestinian flag at him.
He added: 'Not to mention, death to Israel, death to me, that he wanted to kill me and my family.
'I will continue to fight against anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and all other forms of hate.
'You have an issue, take it to my office. You want to run me off the road, that's a different story.'
In the 911 call, obtained by CNN, Miller said: 'I'm on the freeway. I have somebody who has cut me off, who is flipping me off, who is showing me a Palestinian flag and is yelling to kill me.
'I'm a little shaken at the moment because I got death threats', he continued as he read out the license plate of the vehicle.
After his call was transferred to another police department, he added: 'I was just driving to work and I was cut off by a man in a Tesla who held up a Palestinian flag to me and then rolled down his window and said that "I'm going to cut your throat and your daughter's."
'And he said "you're a dirty Jew. I'm going to f**king kill you all, and I know who you are and where you live."'
'I have a weapon on me. I'm glad I didn't use it. But, I mean, what is going to happen? This guy just said he is going to kill me.
'And said he is going to kill my daughter who is almost two years old. And he cut me off and clearly was trying to hurt me.'
House Speaker Mike Johnson condemned the incident, writing on X: 'What happened to Max this morning is yet another outrageous example of unhinged rhetoric inspiring unstable people to threaten and attack elected officials who are serving their communities. We must turn down the temperature in this country.'
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a joint statement: 'We condemn in the strongest possible terms the attack on Congressman Max Miller and his family and are thankful they are safe.
'The rise in political violence in this country is unacceptable. This is a moment of crisis that requires Congress to act decisively in order to ensure the safety of every single Member who serves in the People's House.'
It comes after heightened concerns for lawmakers and public officials after Rep. Melissa Hortman was murdered last week alongside her husband Mark.
Authorities say Trump supporter Vance Boelter, 57, is responsible for the killings, he was arrested late on Sunday night following an extensive manhunt.
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BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Man accused of forcing US congressman off road turns himself in
A man who allegedly threatened a US congressman with his vehicle in Ohio has turned himself in to the authorities, police have driver was identified by the Rocky River Police Department on Friday as 36-year-old Feras Hamdan. He has pleaded not guilty to charges in relation the a video shared on social media, Max Miller, a Republican house representative, said a man honked his horn and forced him "off the road" in an attempt to get his attention. He alleged the man tried to show him a Palestinian flag, said "death to Israel" and that "he wanted to kill me and my family". Police said they put out a warrant for Mr Hamdan's arrest after the congressman filed a criminal complaint. They said Mr Hamdan turned himself shortly after. The incident, which occurred in Rocky River, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, is now under investigation by state and federal authorities, including the US Capitol Police. Mr Hamdan, who is reported to be a doctor in Ohio with a private practice, faces charges of aggravated menacing and ethnic intimidation. He appeared in court on Friday, where his bond was set at $500,000 (£371,500) by Rocky River Municipal Court Judge Joseph Burke. He was ordered to surrender his passport and is due back in court on 8 July. On Thursday afternoon, Miller posted a video on X describing the alleged incident, calling the driver "unhinged". "The deranged hatred in this country has grown out of control," he wrote in the post. Miller added that "as a Marine, a proud Jewish American and a staunch defender of Israel, I will not hide in the face of this blatant antisemitic violence".The incident comes at the heels of a fatal attack on two Democratic state politicians in Minnesota and their spouses, an incident that has raised the alarm on political violence in the US. State lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in their homes on Saturday in what has been described as a "politically motivated assassination." Another lawmaker, State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot but have arrested Vance Luther Boelter in connection to the Minnesota attacks, whom investigators say had a list of 70 "targets" that included names of other Democratic Donald Trump has also been the target of political violence, with two assassination attempts against him in 2024.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Ohio doctor arrested for 'running Jewish congressman off road' while chanting 'Death to Israel
An Ohio doctor was arrested after a congressman claimed he forced him off the road while chanting 'death to Israel.' Feras Hamdan, 36, of Avon, turned himself in to cops following the alleged incident on Thursday morning while Republican Max Miller was driving on I-90. According to police, Miller had called 911 and said that as he was driving to work a man hit his horn and ran him off the road while waving the flag of Palestine. Miller, who is Jewish, also claims that the man shouted 'death to Israel' and threatened to kill him and his family. Hamdan is a doctor with a private practice. Hamdan appeared in court on Friday were he pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated menacing and ethnic intimidation. According to Cleveland19 he received a $500,000 cash-assured bond during the arraignment inside Rocky River Municipal Court. The outlet reported that Hamdan was also ordered to surrender his passport and to avoid contacting Miller and his family. He is expected back in court next month. Miller said in a post to his X account on Thursday that he was run off the road by what he described as an 'unhinged, deranged man' in another vehicle. The lawmaker said he is a 'staunch defender of Israel' in his post, and that the driver had been waving a Palestinian flag at him. He added: 'Not to mention, death to Israel, death to me, that he wanted to kill me and my family. 'I will continue to fight against anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and all other forms of hate. 'You have an issue, take it to my office. You want to run me off the road, that's a different story.' In the 911 call, obtained by CNN, Miller said: 'I'm on the freeway. I have somebody who has cut me off, who is flipping me off, who is showing me a Palestinian flag and is yelling to kill me. 'I'm a little shaken at the moment because I got death threats', he continued as he read out the license plate of the vehicle. After his call was transferred to another police department, he added: 'I was just driving to work and I was cut off by a man in a Tesla who held up a Palestinian flag to me and then rolled down his window and said that "I'm going to cut your throat and your daughter's." 'And he said "you're a dirty Jew. I'm going to f**king kill you all, and I know who you are and where you live."' 'I have a weapon on me. I'm glad I didn't use it. But, I mean, what is going to happen? This guy just said he is going to kill me. 'And said he is going to kill my daughter who is almost two years old. And he cut me off and clearly was trying to hurt me.' House Speaker Mike Johnson condemned the incident, writing on X: 'What happened to Max this morning is yet another outrageous example of unhinged rhetoric inspiring unstable people to threaten and attack elected officials who are serving their communities. We must turn down the temperature in this country.' House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a joint statement: 'We condemn in the strongest possible terms the attack on Congressman Max Miller and his family and are thankful they are safe. 'The rise in political violence in this country is unacceptable. This is a moment of crisis that requires Congress to act decisively in order to ensure the safety of every single Member who serves in the People's House.' It comes after heightened concerns for lawmakers and public officials after Rep. Melissa Hortman was murdered last week alongside her husband Mark. Authorities say Trump supporter Vance Boelter, 57, is responsible for the killings, he was arrested late on Sunday night following an extensive manhunt.
Reuters
8 hours ago
- Reuters
Ohio man charged for allegedly threatening US Congressman Max Miller
June 20 (Reuters) - Police in Ohio said on Friday they had arrested a man after he allegedly ran a U.S. Congressman off a road, threatened the politician and his family, and yelled antisemitic slurs and waved a Palestinian flag before fleeing. Police in Rocky River, Ohio, said in a statement that they had arrested Feras Hamdan, 36, of Ohio, in connection to the alleged targeting on Thursday of U.S. Representative Max Miller, a Republican representing Ohio, in the suburb about 10 miles (16 km) west of downtown Cleveland. Hamdan, police said, voluntarily turned himself into police. Hamdan was arraigned on Friday and charged with aggravated menacing and ethnic intimidation, according to Deborah Comery, the Rocky River Municipal Court clerk. Hamdan, who could face up to five months in jail, pleaded not guilty and is being held on a $500,000 bond. Hamdan's attorney, Issa Elkhatib, said in a written statement that the allegations against Hamdan were "baseless and outrageous" and that they "amount to defamatory attacks on his character and reputation." Elkhatib said that Hamdan was a respected local doctor who had no prior criminal history, and that he was confident "the truth will win and that Dr. Hamdan's good name will be fully vindicated." Political violence in the U.S. has been on the increase. A man in Minnesota was arrested on suspicion of assassinating a state lawmaker and her husband last weekend, and shooting and injuring another lawmaker and his wife. The Rocky River police statement said that Miller called 911 on Thursday morning to report that he was run off the road while traveling with his family on Interstate 90 in Ohio. The police said Miller reported an assailant yelled antisemitic slurs and waved a Palestinian flag. "The deranged hatred in this country has gotten out of control," Miller wrote on social media. "As a Marine, a proud Jewish American and a staunch defender of Israel, I will not hide in the face of this blatant antisemitic violence," he wrote.
