Ruba Almaghtheh, 34, told police when they arrested her that the war in Gaza had angered her so much that she chose to run her vehicle into a building she described as “the Israel school.”
But as with many rockets fired by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Almaghtheh accidentally struck a target ostensibly on her side.
The Israelite School of Universal and Practical Knowledge features a logo on the building that does not look like a standard Jewish Star of David. The image features two such stars, each made with one black and one white triangle, with two intertwining swords. It belongs to a Black Hebrew Israelite group the Anti-Defamation League calls “extreme and antisemitic.”
Meanwhile, Indianapolis law enforcement labeled her a “terrorist” and reported the incident to the FBI.
Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis released a statement saying, “although a Jewish facility was not targeted, solely due to ironic misidentification, this is yet another reminder to maintain security protocols, remain vigilant of suspicious activity and to (report promptly) to the appropriate authorities.”
