A former Moorpark College professor will be spending a year in jail after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the death of a Jewish demonstrator in 2023.
Abdel Fattah Alnaji, 53, was sentenced to one year in jail and two years of probation stemming from counter-protests in Thousand Oaks at a pro-Gaza rally. Alnaji was accused of hitting 69-year-old protestor Paul Kessler on the head with a megaphone. The blow caused Kessler to fall on the pavement and strike his head. Kessler died from his injuries.
The Ventura County district attorney’s office called for a stronger sentence, including prison time, and voiced disappointment in the court’s decision. During victim impact statements, Kessler’s widow wrote, “There are no words to describe the pain of losing a husband in such a sudden and violent way.” The couple was married for 43 years.
The attack occurred in 2023 at the intersection of Thousand Oaks and Westlake boulevards when Alnaji was part of a pro-Palestinian rally. A counter pro-Israel rally developed at the same time and escalated from shouting to a physical altercation. It was Alnaji who phoned for help at the scene. He begins serving his jail sentence Aug. 7.