A Republican elected official on the New York City Council was indicted on Friday October 13 for illegal possession of a weapon after showing up the day before, with an apparent pistol in her belt, at a pro-Palestinian rally that she denounced, confirmed to the AFP New York Police.
The 39-year-old elected official of Ukrainian origin, Inna Vernikov, has repeatedly deplored the pro-Palestinian demonstrations which have been held in New York since the deadly attacks by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Israel last Saturday.
She herself posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) showing her near this pro-Palestinian student gathering near a Brooklyn university.
She denounced in particular “support for Hamas”, and the desire to “import, right here to New York, the terror that the people of Israel are now experiencing».
“The tip of a gun sticking out of his pants”
But in other videos and photos on social media, she is seen “with the tip of a gun sticking out of his pants“, indicated a spokesperson for the New York police (NYPD).
The NYPD specifies that “at no time was anyone threatened or harmed» due to carrying a weapon, but the elected official was still summoned to a police station, where she went with her lawyer during the night. New York State law issues permits to carry firearms, but their possession in public is regulated.
According to the police, the elected official was charged with “illegal possession of a firearm» and had to return his “Smith & Wesson noir 9 mm» as well as his gun permit. According to the leader of the Republicans on the New York City Council, Joe Borelli, quoted in the New York Times, she was served with a court summons.
Authorities stepped up security measures on Friday in New York, as a new pro-Palestinian demonstration is planned in Times Square, in the heart of Manhattan.
2023-10-13 17:46:19
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