Man arrested in death of pro-Israel demonstrator Paul Kessler

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. — Authorities arrested a man on suspicion of manslaughter on Thursday, days after a pro-Israel protester died following a run-in with a pro-Palestinian demonstrator in California.

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Update 9:17 p.m. EST Nov. 16: Ventura County Dist. Atty. Erik Nasarenko announced late Thursday that his office is planning to file two felony charges, according to the Los Angeles Times. Those charges include involuntary manslaughter and battery causing serious bodily injury.

Officials are expected to release additional information on the case Friday morning, the LA Times reported.

“Throughout their investigation, prosecutors have been in daily consultation with the Sheriff’s Office and are finalizing review of the evidence,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement obtained by the newspaper.

-- Jessica Goodman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Original story: Detectives with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office arrested Loay Alnaji, 50, on one count of involuntary manslaughter, according to officials. He was booked into jail with his bail set at $1 million, records show.

Prosecutors said in a statement that they expected to decide on what charges to file against Alnaji later Thursday.

“Throughout their investigation, prosecutors have been in daily consultation with the Sheriff’s Office and are finalizing review of the evidence,” according to a statement released by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

Alnaji’s arrest comes 10 days after Paul Kessler died of blunt force head trauma following a demonstration in Thousand Oaks.

Earlier, officials said Kessler — who is Jewish and was supporting Israel at the event — got into an altercation with a 50-year-old who was advocating for Palestine before Kessler fell to the ground, striking his head hard enough to cause bruising on his brain.

Around 3:20 p.m. on Nov. 5, authorities got 911 calls reporting the incident as a possible assault. Responding deputies found Kessler conscious but bleeding from his head and mouth. He was taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries early the next morning.

A subsequent autopsy determined he had an injury to the left side of his face and another to the back of the head, with the latter being “consistent with and typical of injuries from a fall,” Ventura County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Christopher Young said.

“During the investigation at the scene, deputies determined that (during) the altercation with Mr. Kessler, he fell backward and struck his head on the ground,” Sheriff Jim Fryoff said last week at a news conference. “What exactly transpired prior to Mr. Kessler falling backward isn’t crystal clear right now.”

Witnesses gave authorities conflicting statements about what happened before Kessler’s fall, and a camera that might have caught the confrontation was blocked by a sign, Fryoff said.

“Investigators have not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime and this is being investigated as a homicide,” he added.

Jail records list Alnaji as a professor teaching computer science. He teaches at Moorpark College and previously shared pro-Palestinian stances on social media, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Authorities continue to investigate.