Kasem Noubani, a 24-year-old man from the Chicago area, was sentenced about a week ago to 600 days in prison after pleading guilty to a hate crime for his role in the assault of an IDF reservist and another Jewish student on the campus of DePaul University in Chicago.
The attack, which was premeditated, left one of the victims with a brain injury and his friend with a broken wrist that required surgery.
Noubani was arrested only about a year and a half after the attack during a traffic stop in Arkansas. He was subsequently extradited to Illinois and prosecuted. On August 4, he pleaded guilty and was sent to the Cook County Jail.
The incident occurred in broad daylight on November 6, 2024, outside DePaul University’s student center. Max Long, an IDF reservist who came to study at the university after serving in Israel, set up an information booth with his friend, Michael Kaminsky. Long was wearing a sweatshirt that read, “Stop Antisemitism,” and the two held a sign inviting students: “Come talk about Israel with an IDF soldier.”
According to the indictment, Noubani and his accomplice, Adam Arkan, arrived at the scene wearing masks after planning the attack in advance. Arkan began speaking with Long and Kaminsky to distract them, while Noubani approached from behind, attacked Long, and repeatedly struck him in the head and body. Long was knocked to the ground and lost consciousness. Kaminsky, who tried to help his friend, was also attacked and suffered a broken wrist.
Long suffers memory loss months after antisemitic attack
Long suffered a hematoma, a severe concussion, and a brain injury. A cystic finding was later discovered in the area between his brain and spinal cord. Even months after the attack, he continued to suffer from memory loss and required regular medical monitoring. Kaminsky underwent surgery because of his broken wrist.
After the attack, Arkan fled the scene in his father’s car. Noubani was recorded throwing the sweatshirt and ski mask he had been wearing into a trash can. Investigators collected the clothing, and laboratory testing found that the DNA on the items matched Noubani’s. Arkan also identified him during questioning as the person who attacked Long from behind.
Arkan, who was 20 when the charges were filed, is a student at Triton College, not DePaul University. According to the indictment, security cameras recorded him arriving in the campus area about an hour before the attack, before he put on the ski mask, and his father identified him in the footage.
Arkan sentenced to probation, community service
Although Arkan was initially charged with serious offenses, including hate crimes and aggravated battery, he pleaded guilty under a deal to only two misdemeanor battery charges. Last November, he was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service. The sentence drew criticism from Jewish organizations in Chicago, which argued that it did not reflect the severity of the violence directed against Jews.
Noubani, by contrast, had already had a previous encounter with the justice system. Months before the attack, he participated in a pro-Palestinian protest held around the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August 2024. He was among the protesters who breached a fence in the security perimeter and pleaded guilty to trespassing.
Alongside the criminal proceedings, Long and Kaminsky filed a civil lawsuit against DePaul University. They claim that a university security officer stood about three meters away from them during the attack and did not intervene, while another guard briefly detained one of the attackers but allowed him to leave.
The two accuse the university of negligence and of failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students on campus, and are seeking at least $50,000 in damages. The university asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed, arguing that it had no obligation to protect them from the attackers. According to the latest public update, however, the case has not yet been decided.
