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A 25-year-old from Everett has been arrested and ordered held in lieu of a cash bond in connection with vandalism at the Massachusetts State House which drew the bomb squad to deal with a left-behind package.
Jermaiah Yusuf Sawaqed was ordered held on bail totaling $30,000 on Monday over multiple felony charges related to the July 23 vandalism, ccording to the Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office,
“Sawaqed is charged with vandalizing property, vandalizing a war or veterans memorial, and possessing a hoax device,” the DA’s office said in a statement.
Pleas of “not guilty” were entered in relation to all of the charges.
According to the court docket, no attorneys were available to represent Sawaqed, a situation that arises as the state’s bar advocates — private attorneys assigned to fill the role of public defenders — continue their ongoing strike for better pay.
Sawaqed, according to the DA’s office, is the man alleged to have dumped white paint on a gate outside the State House before spray painting the word “divest” on a concrete pillar and fleeing through the Boston Common.
After the vandalism was reported, another call came into police that a suspicious package was sitting in the middle of the Common. The State Police bomb squad responded “out of an abundance of caution.”
According to the charges, the package left behind “likely” contained black powder and could be classified as incendiary devices. Prosecutors allege that Sawaqed’s vandalism comes along with his involvement in the group Direct Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation.
The Anti-Defamation League describes the group, apparently formed this past spring, as a “radical, far-left, anti-Zionist group known for engaging in violent and destructive ‘direct actions’ against institutions and individuals perceived as being connected to Israel.”
“DAMPL endorses an extreme approach to anti-Israel activity, openly promoting and justifying violence and criminal activity,” the ADL writes of the group.
The state also alleges that Sawaqed was involved in the vandalism of a George Washington statue in the Public Garden in June.
A warrant was issued for Sawaqed’s arrest on Friday and he was apprehended and brought to Boston’s Central Municipal Court for an appearance before Judge Paul M. Treseler on Monday.
In addition to the bail, Treseler ordered that Sawaqed must stay away from downtown Boston if he’s released.
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