Paterson, N.J. – A northern New Jersey man has pleaded not guilty
to charges that he threw
lit firecrackers outside a synagogue while shouting “Allahu akbar.”
21-year-old Rizek Musheisen,
of Clifton, entered the plea Monday in state Superior Court. He faces two
counts of bias intimidation.
Authorities say Musheisen got out of a car in April in front of a
Passaic synagogue and lit the firecrackers while yelling the Arabic phrase for
“God is great.”
Musheisen’s attorney, Harley Breite, says his client “is not a
racist” and won’t consider a plea deal. He remains free on bail.
Breite also questioned why other men in the car, including the driver,
weren’t charged.
