A protester has admitted in court he fired a flare that landed on the the roof of a City College of New York building and badly damaged it during an on-campus anti-Israel demonstration two years ago, prosecutors said.
Ahmed Etman, 23, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree arson, a felony, and disorderly conduct on April 16 in an a deal with Manhattan prosecutors, according to the district attorney’s office.
Etman, who was a student at the time, discharged the flare and recklessly damaged the Marshak Science Building on April 28, 2025 while the City College of New York was embroiled in raucous anti-Israel protests in uptown Manhattan amid the conflict in Gaza, according to a criminal complaint.
An FDNY fire marshal found remnants of the flare on the roof of the building, the complaint states.
While officials initially estimated the damage caused by Etman was as high as $250,000, it was later determined he caused $6,291 worth of damage, the district attorney’s office said Friday.
Etman was arrested more than a year later in July 2025 and was also charged with criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and possession of a forged instrument before those counts were dropped by prosecutors.
“The campus police worked closely with the NYPD and fire marshals to make this arrest,” a law enforcement source told The Post. “The protest should never have went as far as it did.”
Protesters against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack formed an encampment on CCNY’s campus days before Etman’s actions, disrupting campus life.
As part of the plea deal, Etman, now a former pupil, agreed to pay back the $6,291 and complete 100 hours of community service, the district attorney’s office said.
“The safety of CCNY’s students and employees is our top priority. The individual in question is no longer enrolled at CCNY,” a school spokesperson said.
If he isn’t arrested again over the next year, the he will be allowed to withdraw the felony plea and be sentenced to conditional discharge on the disorderly conduct charge, which is a violation.
His next court date is Oct. 15. His lawyer declined comment on Friday.
