A former adviser to President Barack Obama was all smiles after being cuffed on Wednesday for repeatedly unleashing an anti-Islamic filled tirade on Upper East Side halal vendors, police said.
Detectives walked Stuart Seldowitz, 64, out of the 19th Precinct stationhouse on the night of Nov. 22, when he was quizzed by reporters regarding whether he stood by his incendiary rants. He refused to answer, only responding with a smile.
Seldowitz was busted after being shown in several viral videos allegedly harassing food vendors on East 83rd Street and Second Avenue on multiple occasions this month, leading to widespread shock and condemnation over social media platforms the videos were shared to.
“Did you rape your daughter like Mohammed did?” Seldowitz was recorded asking one vendor as he smirked, even questioning the worker’s immigration status.
As outrage of the harassment grew, internet users called on police to take action. On Nov. 22, cops arrested Seldowitz at his Upper East Side home, law enforcement sources confirmed.
“Street Vendor Case in Our Community: The suspect is in NYPD custody and has been arrested. Thank you to @NYPD19Pct for their swift investigation. Hate and harassment have no place in our community,” City Council Member Julie Menin wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Despite apparently returning to the cart on multiple occasions, political news site City & State reported that before his arrest, Seldowitz said he regretted his remarks.
“I regret the whole thing happened and I’m sorry,” Seldowitz told the publication. “But you know, in the heat of the moment, I said things that probably I shouldn’t have said.”
Seldowitz is charged with aggravated harassment of race and religion, two counts of stalking as a hate crime, and four counts of stalking.
