Two men charged with hate crimes after defacing Israel flag in Bloomingdale grocery store: prosecutors

Two men have been charged with hate crimes for allegedly spray painting “Free Gaza” on an Israeli flag at the Bloomingdale Woodman’s grocery store last month, prosecutors said.

Tabshir Rizvi, 23, of the 100 block of West Franklin Street, Bloomingdale, and Mohammed Faroun, 22, of the 200 block of Bode Road, Hoffman Estates, were charged with two counts of hate crime as misdemeanor charges of criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

About 11:25 p.m. June 24, two men, later identified as the defendants, entered the Woodman’s Food Market located at 1 Stratford Drive. They allegedly selected a can of red spray paint, walked to the international food aisle, climbed the shelving unit under the Israeli flag and spray painted “Free Gaza” on the flag, authorities said. The men then left the store.

After an investigation, Bloomingdale police identified Rizvi and Faroun as suspects in the case. Faroun turned himself in July 16. Rizvi turned himself in the next day. Both men were released on personal recognizance, according to the release.

“I find the charges against these two men extremely disturbing,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “Hate crimes, such as alleged in this case, not only affect the intended target, but can also have a devastating effect on entire communities. As I have said before, DuPage County prides itself on being an extremely welcoming community to all and we will not tolerate any type of behavior based on hatred or prejudice.”

“There is no place for hatred in our community,” Bloomingdale Director of Public Safety Frank Giammarese said in the release. “The alleged offenders took it upon themselves to interject their personal beliefs and impact the citizens of our great community. I agree that we have a welcoming community and want all people to live in a peaceful society without alleged offenders spewing hatred and degrading an Israeli flag.”

The next court appearance for both men is scheduled for Aug. 13 for arraignment.