Thursday, March 19, 2026
18.1 C
New Delhi

‘Anybody want bacon?’: Three men charged for disturbing Muslim students who were praying in Florida

‘Anybody want bacon?’: Three men charged for disturbing Muslim students who were praying in Florida

Three men were charged after they harassed Muslim students with slurs and bacon while they were performing their dawn prayer at a parking garage in the University of South Florida .Police identified the trio: 1) Christopher Svochak of Waco in Texas, 2) Richard Penskoski of Canyon in Oklahoma and 3) Ricardo Yepez of Tampa. None of them are part of the university. The men are accused of storming the Collins Boulevard Parking Garage last week and disrupting a gathering hosted by the Muslim Students Association, according to the Tampa Bay Times. All three face a felony count of disturbing schools and religious assemblies under Florida’s hate crime enhancement statute, as well as misdemeanour charges of disorderly conduct and disrupting a school or lawful assembly. Investigators said the charges followed several days of reviewing video footage that captured the incident.According to students, the group appeared during prayer on the top level of the garage, arriving with props they had prepared ahead of time. One man carried a cardboard box painted black with the words “Kaaba 2.0 Jesus is Lord.” Another wore a white thobe with Jesus is God printed across it. Students said the men moved extremely close to them while they were bowing. Abu Tahir, who was present, said the group stood so near that they feared being kicked or stepped on. He said they hesitated about whether to interrupt their prayer. “We had a thought in our head, do we break the prayer? Do we end the prayer to address whatever is going on?” he said.Others described insults being shouted only inches from their faces. The men yelled “Bow down to lord Jesus Christ” and “Your prophet married a 6 year old,” according to a Reddit post shared by members of the Muslim Students Association. The post also said the men taunted worshippers with bacon once the prayer ended. Islam prohibits consumption of pork and pork products.One student said a man asked “You don’t have a bomb on you do you?” Another comment students recalled was “go back to where you came from”. The Reddit post said one of the men spoke the prophet’s name and then spat on the ground.After the prayer ended the students said the men pointed cameras at them and zoomed in and continued to comment. “We had no idea whether we were going to leave there safely,” Tahir said.Sajid Kahn, another student at the scene, said the group’s behaviour felt deliberately planned and intended to mock their culture and worship. Police said the investigation remains ongoing but there is no bigger threat to the campus, reports the New York Post.

Go to Source

Hot this week

Dubai to host Eid 2026 prayers in over 900 mosques, confirms timing in UAE emirate amid Iran vs US-Israel war

Thousands to Gather Across 900 Mosques for Eid ul Fitr 2026 Prayers in Dubai Dubai is preparing for one of its largest and most coordinated Eid ul Fitr 2026 prayer gatherings in recent years, with authorities announcing that more tha Read More

Netanyahu Says Iran ‘Weaker Than Ever’, Can No Longer Enrich Uranium Or Produce Ballistic Missiles

Netanyahu said Iran’s missile and drone arsenal is being massively degraded. He also denied that Israel pushed the US into going to war with Iran. Read More

Bail for three Jaish OGWs with GPS anklets

Representative image JAMMU: J&K Police have fitted GPS anklets on three alleged Jaish-e-Mohammad overground workers (OGWs) out on interim bail after court orders. Read More

Streamer Tectone banned from YouTube for a week, calls platforms “over sanitized”

Image Via X Streamer Tectone has been banned from YouTube for one week. The creator shared the news himself on X, where he explained that he cannot post videos or go live during this time. Read More

EU summit fails to rally Orban behind stalled $104 billion Ukraine loan

Moscow’s closest partner in the bloc, the nationalist prime minister has long resisted helping Kyiv to repel Russia’s invasion, stalling EU aid and repeated rounds of sanctions Go to Source Read More

Topics

Dubai to host Eid 2026 prayers in over 900 mosques, confirms timing in UAE emirate amid Iran vs US-Israel war

Thousands to Gather Across 900 Mosques for Eid ul Fitr 2026 Prayers in Dubai Dubai is preparing for one of its largest and most coordinated Eid ul Fitr 2026 prayer gatherings in recent years, with authorities announcing that more tha Read More

Netanyahu Says Iran ‘Weaker Than Ever’, Can No Longer Enrich Uranium Or Produce Ballistic Missiles

Netanyahu said Iran’s missile and drone arsenal is being massively degraded. He also denied that Israel pushed the US into going to war with Iran. Read More

Bail for three Jaish OGWs with GPS anklets

Representative image JAMMU: J&K Police have fitted GPS anklets on three alleged Jaish-e-Mohammad overground workers (OGWs) out on interim bail after court orders. Read More

Streamer Tectone banned from YouTube for a week, calls platforms “over sanitized”

Image Via X Streamer Tectone has been banned from YouTube for one week. The creator shared the news himself on X, where he explained that he cannot post videos or go live during this time. Read More

EU summit fails to rally Orban behind stalled $104 billion Ukraine loan

Moscow’s closest partner in the bloc, the nationalist prime minister has long resisted helping Kyiv to repel Russia’s invasion, stalling EU aid and repeated rounds of sanctions Go to Source Read More

UK, France, Japan Say Ready To Join Efforts To Open Hormuz, Stabilise Energy Markets

The UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan said they were ready to contribute to efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war. Read More

India bags another major sporting event with 2028 World Indoor Athletics Championships taking place in Bhubaneswar

The 2028 World Indoor Athletics Championships is set to take place at the indoor facility of Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium, marking the first time the prestigious track and field event is taking place on Indian soil. Read More

Related Articles