Aug. 31 (UPI) — A man wearing a keffiya and wielding a glass bottle attacked and injured two Jewish University of Pittsburgh students late Friday, school officials announced.
In what Pitt officials called an “appalling incident” near the Cathedral of Learning at around 6 p.m., a group of Jewish students were attacked by a man with no known affiliation with the university.
They said they contacted the Hillel University Center and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh after learning of the attack.
“While there is not believed to be any ongoing threat to the public stemming from this incident, we recognize that incidents like these are unsettling to our Pitt community,” school officials said.
“Neither acts of violence nor antisemitism will be tolerated,” the statement continued. “Local and federal partners are supporting Pitt Police in this ongoing investigation.”
Police immediately arrested the suspect and identified him as Jarrett Buba, 52, who is a resident of Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood.
One student suffered facial cuts while the other had cuts on his neck. Both were treated at the scene.
The students were wearing yarmulkes and said they made eye contact with Buba, who was sitting at a table on the other side of Forbes Ave., but thought nothing of it.
Police said Buba struck the students from behind, but one of the students tackled and held him down until the police arrived.
Buba struggled with the police, but they arrested him and placed him in a police vehicle, where he allegedly gave several false names before admitting his true identity.
After securing Buba, the university police gathered evidence and witness statements.
Fall classes started Monday at Pitt and the attack occurred as many students were leaving the university for the three-day Labor Day holiday weekend.