Pittsburgh man charged with ethnic intimidation for allegedly damaging Israeli flag

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh man is facing numerous charges after a North Side resident reported numerous instances of antisemitism on and around her property.

Police cited Mario Ashkar, 36, with multiple summary and misdemeanor offenses, including theft and ethnic intimidation.

Ashkar was reportedly identified with the help of the public, after Pittsburgh Police shared surveillance images captured at separate times. As of Friday, police told Channel 11 that they are continuing to look for a second suspect.

Channel 11 previously spoke to the victim, a Jewish woman, who recounted being the target of at least four incidents.

Throughout the month of April, she faced damage to her Israeli flag and offensive graffiti painted outside of her home. Antisemitic propaganda was also glued to her door and placed within her mailbox, according to the criminal complaint against Ashkar.

Court documents list a North Side address for Ashkar. We visited the residence, on Perrysville Avenue in Perry South, on Friday. A person at the home claimed that Ashkar does not reside there, and ultimately closed the door.

While numerous cases of antisemitism have been reported across Pittsburgh in recent months, the complaint states that “at this time, this is the only incident tied” to Ashkar.

Channel 11 returned to the victim’s home on Friday but no one came to the door. A neighbor, however, told us that they’re relieved to see there will be accountability in the case.

“It’s unfortunate that their feelings manifested in this particular way, so hopefully from here on out, they can get some help and get some clarity to what they’re feeling.”

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