One of the anti-Israel protesters arrested at Columbia University’s Butler Library earlier this month was a graphics reporter for Bloomberg News, The Washington Free Beacon reported on Monday.
The NYPD told JNS that Kao, a Columbia alumnus, was among the individuals arrested on May 7 when dozens of anti-Israel protesters took over the main reading room in Butler Library, defaced the space and left two public safety officers injured.
He was charged with criminal trespassing in the third degree.
Kao, who had previously worked in the graphics department of The New York Times, was a Bloomberg employee as of a May 1 social media post from a colleague. However, a spokesperson for the news outlet told the Free Beacon on Monday that Kao is no longer employed by Bloomberg News.
The NYPD told JNS that on May 7 at around 4 p.m., “at the direct request of Columbia University, the NYPD responded where individuals were occupying and trespassing in the library.”
After failing to comply with a warning to disperse, “78 individuals were arrested and two individuals were issued summonses,” according to the NYPD.
