(NewsNation) — New details have emerged in the investigation into the death of 69-year-old Paul Kessler, a Jewish man who died a day after a confrontation at a pro-Palestinian rally in California over the weekend.
The death has been classified as a homicide, but so far, no arrests have been made.
NewsNation spoke with Jon Oswaks, a man who attended the rally with Kessler and said he knows the identity of the alleged attacker.
Oswaks and Kessler had attended the rally to express their pro-Israel stance despite being outnumbered by pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Oswaks said the person of interest can be seen in video footage sitting on a ledge after the incident.
Oswaks said he observed the person of interest hit Paul Kessler with a megaphone, knocking him to the ground.
“I saw the white megaphone come across. I saw the red mouthpiece for the megaphone, and I could see that the lanyard was trailing,” Oswaks said. “And I said to John, I said, ‘Hey, they’re throwing punches over there, go over there.'”
Oswaks said the man seen in the video is the man with the megaphone.
“Absolutely. 100%. There’s no question about it. I’ll stick my life on that,” he said.
The Daily Mail reported police have questioned 50-year-old college professor Loay Alnaji, who teaches computer science at Ventura Community College in California.
According to the report, police raided Alnaji’s home, located on a cul-de-sac in Moorpark, California, on Sunday evening.
Oswaks says he has already spoken with sheriff’s deputies multiple times, providing his account of the incident along with other witnesses.
However, despite eyewitness accounts, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department has yet to make an arrest.
Sheriff James Fryhoff previously stated that the 50-year-old suspect had been fully cooperative with the investigation.
Sheriff’s officials emphasized the ongoing nature of the investigation and discouraged speculation.