Update: On Saturday evening, University of South Florida Police said it identified a third suspect in the incident. Police said Ricardo Yepez, 28, of Tampa, is being charged with disturbing schools and religious and other assemblies; disorderly conduct; and disrupting school or lawful assembly. Police said Yepez has no affiliation with USF.
Abu Tahir heard footsteps around him, minutes into the prayer.
He thought at first it might have been another student joining the congregation. Tahir and nearly a dozen other members of the University of South Florida’s Muslim Student Association were gathered on the roof of a campus parking garage for a short prayer as the sun rose.
Tahir felt more movement in front of him, and saw at least three grown men shouting insults and taunting the students, he recalled at a Friday morning news conference.
“The morning after, when I watched the videos again, and when I was reached out by families and loved ones,” he said, “I had to relive the whole thing again.”
Two days after the incident, which was widely shared across social media, local government leaders, faith leaders and law enforcement gathered at the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay Area to condemn the harassment and support the Muslim students who endured it.
USF police announced Friday afternoon that they have charged two men, Christopher Svochak, 40, of Waco, Texas, and Richard Penskoski, 49, of Canyon, Oklahoma, with a felony and two misdemeanor charges.
The charges include disturbing schools and religious assemblies, disorderly conduct and disrupting school or lawful assembly.
The men have no affiliation to USF, according to a news release from university police. The department is also issuing trespass orders to prevent them from returning to campus.
The investigation remains open with investigators trying to identify a third suspect in the video, police said.
A group called Warriors for Christ, which is designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, livestreamed the harassment on YouTube.
A statement posted on the university’s social media accounts said that USF does not tolerate discrimination, harassment or hateful expression targeting people because of their religion.
Malak Albustami, the president of USF’s Muslim Student Association, said there was no university security or staff around to step in during the harassment.
“To the USF administration, stand with us,” Albustami said. “Show us that we matter. It is your obligation to protect all students equally and ensure our safety on this campus to everyone else.”
The university said in a statement Friday evening that “out of an abundance of caution,” it would increase patrols and police visibility on campus and at upcoming events.
As the perpetrators shouted insults at the students, spit on the ground in front of them and accused them of praying to the devil, Tahir said he had one thought: Should they break the prayer?
The nature of the prayer is such that they do not move or turn around until the prayer is over, he said.
“They walked close to our heads while we entered the bowing position, so close that we genuinely had a fear that they were going to stomp on our heads,” Tahir said. “They pushed cameras inches from our faces.”
The students stayed put.
When the prayer ended, Tahir said they looked up and saw the men taunting them with pieces of bacon. Pork is forbidden in the Islamic faith.
“The entire time, the question was running in our head, is this individual armed?” Tahir said. “Does this individual want to hurt us? These are 50-year-old grown men more than double our age. They have a foot on me.”
In one of the video clips, one of the perpetrators said the students have no business being in the country.
“They hate America, they hate American values, they hate free speech,” he said in a selfie video. “They wanna take over.”
Tahir said at the news conference that though he might dress and look differently, he was born and raised in Tampa. He’s always had the security to practice his faith in peace, he said.
“I am genuinely terrified for the America that my children might have to grow up in if this doesn’t stop today,” he said.
Hillsborough County commissioners Harry Cohen and Gwen Myers both condemned the harassment. Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer, representing the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, said they will ensure that anyone can gather and pray safely. He said the sheriff’s office offered to help, but USF police haven’t requested assistance.
“We anticipate referring the perpetrators to the State Attorney’s Office for criminal charges,” a statement from USF read.
USF’s Muslim Student Association sent a list of demands to university administration earlier this week. The group is asking the university to implement preventative safety measures, designate an on-campus space and implement protections for Muslim students to pray, and meet with the group’s leadership.
They also asked the university to issue a public statement clearly stating that Islamophobic harassment will not be tolerated. USF’s statement did not include specific language about Muslim students or Islamophobia, though a letter from President Rhea Law to students, faculty and staff Friday night did condemn “Islamophobia, antisemitism and all other instances of hateful conduct targeting individuals because of their religion, shared ancestry or cultural heritage.”
Speaking to anyone is protected by the First Amendment, Maurer said. But creating a hostile environment where people feel unsafe is not a First Amendment right, he said.
Ahmed Bedier, a Florida activist and president of the nonprofit United Voices for America, said an assault on one group of students is an assault on all students, regardless of their faith.
“It would be unacceptable for a Christian that’s worshiping to be harassed, intimidated and threatened,” he said. “Same thing with the Jewish community or any other community or students of faith or no faith.”
Editor’s note: The headline of this article has been updated to reflect that charges have been filed in the case.