Indianapolis Woman Arrested for Intentionally Crashing Car into Building Mistakenly Believed to be Jewish School

Misguided Intentional Attack Spurred by Israel-Hamas Conflict Results in No Injuries; Suspect Charged with Criminal Recklessness and Identified as Potential Terrorist

A 34-year-old Indianapolis woman, identified as Ruba Almaghtheh, was arrested on a preliminary charge of criminal recklessness after deliberately crashing her car into a building she mistakenly identified as a Jewish school due to its 'Hebrew Israelite' symbol.
Almaghtheh launched the attack after watching news coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict and feeling upset for her 'people back in Palestine'. She admitted to police to having planned the attack and doing it on purpose.
The building she targeted is in fact associated with the Radical Hebrew Israelites, designated as a 'hate group' by the Southern Poverty Law Center for its antisemitic, anti-white, anti-LGBTQ, xenophobic, and misogynistic ideology.
Despite significant damage to the building, there were no injuries reported among the people present during the incident, including one adult and four children aged between 7 months and 3 years.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) notified the FBI about the crash and Almaghtheh, who referenced her actions as a 'hate crime' in a phone call to a family member after her arrest, is anticipated to face additional charges.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis responded to the incident by stating, 'Although a Jewish facility was not targeted, solely due to ironic misidentification, this is yet another reminder to maintain security protocols, remain vigilant of suspicious activity and to report same promptly to the appropriate authorities.'