Indiana woman crashes car into what she thought was Jewish school 'on purpose,' police say

Building belonged to Israelite School of Universal and Practical Knowledge, classified as anti-Israel extremist group by ADL

ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo
Monday, November 6, 2023
Woman purposely crashes into what she thought was Jewish school: cops
Indianapolis police say Ruba Almaghtheh intentionally crashed into what she thought was a Jewish school, angered by the Israel-Hamas war.

INDIANAPOLIS -- A woman intentionally crashed her car into what she thought was a Jewish school because she was angry about the Israel-Hamas war, Indianapolis police said.

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Indianapolis police said the responded to the crash on Friday at about 11:30 p.m. When they arrived, Ruba Almaghtheh, 34, told officers she had been watching the news and "couldn't breathe anymore," and referenced the Palestinian people.

Police said she had passed the Israelite School of Universal and Practical Knowledge several times, calling it the "Israel school," and told officers, "Yes, I did it on purpose."

Police said that people were in the building at the time of the crash, but no one was injured.

However, the building Almaghtheh crashed into is not, in fact, a Jewish school. The Anti-Defamation League says the Israelite School of Universal and Practical Knowledge is in fact an extremist organization that is anti-Israel and antisemitic.

Indianapolis police said Almaghtheh was arrested for criminal recklessness, and also informed the FBI.

The FBI confirmed they are "aware of the incident" and said they are working with Indianapolis police on the matter.