MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - The woman accused of vandalizing a bagel shop in Miami Beach appeared in bond court on Monday.
Yasmeen Al-Akhras was arrested in Philadelphia in January.
According to police, she ripped down a pro-Israel flag at the Bagel Time Cafe in Miami Beach and stomped on it.
She flew in Sunday night and turned herself in.
Her lawyers argue that the crime isn’t a hate crime because she had no way of knowing the restaurant owner was Jewish. The state argued that the crime occurred months after the October 7th attacks in Israel.
Prosecutors are seeking a stay away order from the business and its owner.
It is not the first time the shop has been vandalized. Last October, a man sprinted out of a yellow mustang as he rode down Alton Road. He then ran up to slash a pro-Israel sign. He was arrested a few weeks later.
In another instance in December, another man tore down an American flag that was hanging proudly along the Alton Road restaurant.
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