Called to stop antisemitism and was attacked by a pro-Palestinian
IDF reservist Max Long set up an information booth about Israel on a Chicago campus when masked men ambushed him and his friend and attacked them. Long was left with a brain injury and his friend required surgeries. One of the attackers pleaded guilty to a hate crime and was sentenced to 600 days in prison, while his partner received a suspended sentence.
Qasem Noubani, a 24-year-old from the Chicago area, was sentenced this Saturday to 600 days in prison after pleading guilty to a hate crime for his role in the attack on an IDF reservist and another Jewish student on the DePaul University campus in Chicago. The pre-planned attack left one victim with a brain injury and his friend with a broken hand requiring surgery.
Noubani was arrested a year and a half after the incident during a traffic stop in Arkansas. Following his extradition to Illinois and subsequent trial, he pleaded guilty on August 4 and was sent to the Cook County jail.
The incident occurred on November 6, 2024, outside the DePaul University student center. Max Long, an IDF reservist studying at the university, had set up an information booth alongside his friend Michael Kaminsky. Long was wearing a sweatshirt reading "Stop Antisemitism," and the two displayed a sign inviting students to "Come talk about Israel with an IDF soldier."
According to the indictment, Noubani and his accomplice Adam Arkan arrived masked. Arkan engaged the pair in conversation to distract them, allowing Noubani to lunge at Long from behind, striking him repeatedly on the head and body. Long was knocked unconscious, and Kaminsky, who attempted to intervene, suffered a broken wrist.
Injuries and legal aftermath
Long suffered a hematoma, a severe concussion, and a brain injury, later developing a cystic growth between his brain and spine. Months later, he continues to suffer from memory loss and requires ongoing medical care. Kaminsky required surgeries for his hand fracture.
Following the attack, Arkan fled in his father's car. Noubani was caught on video discarding his sweatshirt and ski mask, which were later recovered by investigators; DNA evidence matched Noubani, and Arkan identified him during interrogation. Arkan, a student at Triton College, was documented by security cameras arriving at the campus an hour before the attack. Despite initial charges of hate crimes, he pleaded guilty to minor assault charges and received two years of probation and 100 hours of community service—a sentence that drew significant criticism from Chicago's Jewish community.
Noubani had previously been involved in legal trouble, having pleaded guilty to trespassing after breaching a security fence during protests at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August 2024.
Parallel to the criminal proceedings, Long and Kaminsky have filed a civil lawsuit against DePaul University. They allege that a university security guard stood just three meters away without intervening, while another guard allowed one of the attackers to leave. They are seeking at least $50,000 in damages for negligence and failure to protect Jewish and Israeli students. The university has moved to dismiss the suit, and the case remains pending.
