As Muslim college professor Loay Alnaji is set to be sentenced on June 30 for fatally assaulting a Jewish man, Paul Kessler, in November 2023, bodycam footage from the day of the attack exclusively shared with RedState contradicts the narrative his attorney has set.
Alnaji, one of the leaders of a pro-Hamas contingent protesting against Israel in Thousand Oaks, California, on November 5, 2023, crossed two major thoroughfares to confront Kessler, who'd had the audacity to stand on a corner opposite Alnaji's group and wave an Israeli flag. As words were exchanged, Kessler took out his phone to video Alnaji, at which time Alnaji "decked" Kessler, according to an eyewitness.
Ron Bamieh, Alnaji's attorney, claims his client acted in self-defense and is “not a violent man. He was at a rally exercising his right to protest, a tragic chain of events followed.” He says, “Mr. Kessler approached the crowd and yelled at demonstrators to ‘stop beheading babies.’ When he turned toward Mr. Alnaji — phone pointed at him — Mr. Alnaji swiped at the phone with his hand, which was holding a megaphone. He inadvertently struck Kessler on the side of the head. Kessler then fell, striking his head on the pavement.”
In early May, as we reported, Alnaji entered an open guilty plea to one count of involuntary manslaughter and felony count of battery causing serious bodily injury, with a serious felony enhancement and aggravating factors of weapons use and vulnerable victim for both counts. According to Bamieh, Ventura County Superior Court Judge Derek Malan indicated that he would sentence Alnaji to one year in prison followed by three years probation. Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko's office is opposed to a probationary sentence, as is Kessler's family.
UPDATED: Muslim Community College Professor Pleads Guilty in 2023 Death of Jewish Man, Paul Kessler
CA Judge Allegedly Bypassed DA to Offer Pro-Hamas Professor a Sweetheart Deal for Killing Jewish Man
According to video and witness evidence, some of which was published at the time of the assault, Bamieh's narrative leaves out a few things. A man who was with Kessler and another man, Jon Oswaks, said in a statement to law enforcement which was also provided to RedState that when the group arrived at 3 PM, "No one was on any of the four corners at that time as far as I could tell. There certainly was no one on the Shell station corner and no one on the Northeast corner where the large grass area is."
That man, who we'll call James, said that he routinely wears a body camera "at dynamic events" so his hands would be free and he could capture everything. As he stood on the corner where the Shell station is with Kessler he realized he had a second body camera in his vehicle and went to his car to retrieve it so either Kessler or Oswaks could wear it. When he returned to the corner, a handful of pro-Hamas people had arrived; he stated that "none were there when I left." (Note: On the bodycam videos labeled 000000, the actual time is the camera time minus an hour and 15 minutes, so on this photo the actual time is 15:14.)
James then crossed Westlake Boulevard to bring the body camera to Oswaks, and as he crosses, he passes Alnaji and Nashat Mshaiel, then-president of the Islamic Society of Simi Valley mosque.
Alnaji is also a member of the ISSV mosque and at the time served as the faculty advisor to the Moorpark College Muslim Student Association, where his son was an officer.
Mshaiel and ISSV Imam Shaikh Omar Jubran had angrily exchanged words with a pro-Israel counter-protester the week prior, with Mshaiel lunging at the man before ISSV's registered agent Munir Merchant held him back. Kessler and Oswaks had also exchanged words with Mshaiel.
A younger man there at the prior protest reportedly pulled a gun on Oswaks, but was gone by the time Sheriff's deputies arrived. Oswaks identified that man for James on November 5, and Jubran said to Oswaks, "I remember you from last week."
Here, right after Jon Oswaks identifies the man in the black shirt with "Palestine" in red as the man who drew a gun on him the week prior, ISSV's Imam Shaikh Omar Jubran (father of Simi Valley's leading mayoral candidate) says, "I saw you last week, son." Oswaks says, "I saw you… pic.twitter.com/gflsjuyokd
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) June 29, 2026
Back to our timeline. Just about three minutes after James passed Alnaji and Mshaiel, Oswaks tells James that he'd heard that "fists were flying" across the street. James crosses the street to find Kessler laying on the ground. A couple who were at the corner in support of Israel both told James what they saw.
This man, who Kessler had just given the Israeli flag to moments before the attack, says:
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) June 29, 2026
"I was holding the flag. He [Alnaji] just got in his face with the bullhorn, and then he went down." He says "to the best of my knowledge" Kessler didn't hit or push Alnaji first.
Note… pic.twitter.com/3GL2PmsNkY
Another witness statement - the wife of the man quoted above.
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) June 29, 2026
"We were standing here and they came over and, you know..."
What happened? "Oh, he [Alnaji] decked him."
Who did the first like push or hit? "They were at each other, they were yelling, and he decked him. He came… pic.twitter.com/NdPMjV3gpN
Moments after Kessler was loaded into an ambulance, with his blood still fresh on the pavement, Mamdouh Elalami, ISSV's youth leader, picked up the murder weapon and started antisemitic chants. When James asked them to show some respect, Elalami became enraged Mshaiel got in James' face. Another unidentified mosque member mocked the idea of free speech in America.
Almost forgot this one. When Mamdouh Elalami picked up the murder weapon as Kessler was still being loaded into the ambulance and started antisemitic chants, he was asked to show some respect. Elalami and these clowns below (one ISSV member, one obvious Antifa, and ISSV… pic.twitter.com/aMH5sYZeLJ
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) June 30, 2026
They also taunted the pro-Israel folks by chanting, "Yassin 105! BOOM!" referring to Hamas' newest anti-tank weapon, which was used for the first time on October 7.
Mamdouh Elalami (ISSV 2023 "Man of the Year" and current youth leader) and Nash Mshaiel (then-president of ISSV) shout "Yassin 105! BOOM!" at Jewish counter-protesters, referencing Hamas' newest anti-tank weapon. pic.twitter.com/Z6b8V9gYWj
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) June 30, 2026
In this video, the ISSV members are heard chanting, "Hitler didn't want you, Hitler should have smashed you."
It's clear from these videos and statements that Mshaiel took Alnaji to that corner to confront Kessler because of the beef they'd had the week before, and that their actions were motivated by antisemitism and this wasn't a simple case of two old men getting a little too heated.
READ ALL OF REDSTATE'S EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE OF THE PAUL KESSLER MURDER HERE.
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