Anti-Israel vandal arrested after pepper-spraying two NYPD cops in Times Square: sources

New York Post

16 hours ago

A hateful anti-Israel vandal who was caught viciously ripping down Israeli child hostage posters while yelling 'F–k Israel' after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack was arrested Wednesday after she pepper-sprayed two NYPD officers in Times Square — and tried to take their gun, according to law enforcement sources.
Dana Baraket approached the pair of officers on Broadway and 47th Street around 1:20 a.m. and doused them in the eyes and face, police and sources said.
The 19-year-old then tried to grab one of their guns as she repeatedly yelled at them to 'kill me,' according to sources.
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Baraket did not get the gun and was arrested at the scene, the sources added.
She was charged with assaulting a police officer, attempted robbery, criminal possession of a weapon, harassment and criminal possession of a noxious matter.
3 The two officers were taken to the hospital in stable condition, police said.
Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
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3 Dana and Aya Baraket were filmed tearing down posters of Israeli hostages.
twitter @ RitaPanahi
3 The two cops were attacked on Broadway and 47th Street around 1:20 a.m.
Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
The two cops were taken to a local hospital in stable condition, according to the NYPD.
'The officers did an excellent job under extreme pressure and stress when they were intentionally ambushed by the attacker,' a law enforcement source said.
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'Within seconds of being attacked, they quickly de-escalated the situation without anyone being seriously injured, and placed the attacker in handcuffs.'
In Oct. 2023 — just weeks after Hamas launched its bloodthirsty attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking hundreds of hostages — Baraket was filmed tearing down Israeli child hostage posters from a storefront window with her sister while yelling 'F–k Israel' on the Upper West Side.
The siblings were confronted by Marilyn Adler and her two adult daughters, who said the pair then turned on them, leaving her frightened that they would harm her children.
In the video, shared widely online by the nonprofit StopAntisemitism, Adler's daughter Melissa pleaded with the women to stop, stressing that those pictured on the posters were 'innocent civilians.'
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In response, one of the women yelled, 'F–k you, f–k Israel.'
The sisters' father, Hasan Bakaret said he spoke with his daughters after the disturbing confrontation made The Post's front page.
Hasan, a New Yorker who immigrated from Lebanon more than 35 years ago, said he disapproved of their offensive language but insisted they are not antisemitic and that their actions were taken out of context.
The two women claimed they were provoked by Adler, who they claimed snatched a photo of a Palestinian baby from their hands, the dad said.