Wiesel Attack Suspect Held Without Bail, Charged With Six Felony Counts

KGO
February 18, 2007

Extradition proceedings are underway for a man accused of attacking a Nobel prize-winning author and Holocaust survivor in San Francisco.
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Police say the man assaulted Elie Wiesel who was in town for an interfaith conference. The suspect is being held without bail after being arrested at a psychiatric facility in New Jersey.

Jonathan Bernstein, Anti-Defamation League: "We're very, very pleased that the district attorney is prosecuting this as a hate crime."

Members of the Interfaith Council, the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish community stood side by side with investigators and San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris to announce the arrest of Eric Hunt, the 22-year-old accused of attacking Nobel-winning Holocaust scholar Elie Wiesel.

Kamala Harris, S.F. District Attorney: "This defendant committed several horrible, outrageous crimes against the professor."

Prosecutors allege that Hunt attacked Wiesel at a San Francisco hotel when Wiesel was a featured speaker at a peace forum, after which Hunt bragged on an anti-Semetic website about how he dragged Wiesel screaming from the elevator.

Eric Hunt: "I had planned to bring Wiesel to my hotel room where he would truthfully answer my questions," he says, but fled because "He was no use in our worldwide struggle for freedom if he had a heart attack."

The charges include attempted kidnapping, elder abuse, stalking and the commission of a hate crime, a total of six felony charges.

Kamala Harris, S.F. District Attorney: "During his stay, he was brutally attacked by someone who traveled here to commit this heinous crime against him."

Police in New Jersey arrested Hunt earlier today. He is being held without bail awaiting extradition to San Francisco.

Rabbi Stephen Pearce, Temple Emanu-el: "It makes me proud to be a San Franciscan to see how seriously this matter was taken in hand."

Investigators don't believe Hunt belonged to a larger organization. They believe he acted alone. Attempts to reach Professor Wiesel were unsuccessful.

Source: KGO 7

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