The arrest of Iman Abdul is a chilling reminder that words—especially in the volatile arena of social media—can become dangerous weapons when aimed at a community already living under the shadow of rising antisemitism.
At just 27 years old, Abdul has managed to pull her name into national headlines for all the wrong reasons, accused of targeting a Brooklyn public school simply because Jewish students walk its halls.
According to multiple reports, including the New York Post, Abdul’s now-deleted Instagram post read like a twisted invitation for harm: a Google Maps screenshot of Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences, captioned with the suggestion that it would be a worthy target “for whatever reason” due to the presence of “Israhell loving Zionists.” In an era where online threats are increasingly translating into real-world danger, the post set off alarms instantly.
BREAKING: Iman Abdul, a former youth organizer for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, was arrested for urging her 25,000 followers to “attack” a NYC high school because Jewish students attend it.
She posted the school’s location and captioned it with “attack… all attend here.” pic.twitter.com/s6sz5MIlSv
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) August 9, 2025
Police didn’t waste time. The NYPD arrested Abdul at her Brooklyn home the very next day, charging her with making a terroristic threat, aggravated harassment, making a threat of mass harm, and acting in a manner injurious to a child.
Her arraignment ended with a plea of not guilty, but the charges themselves reflect the gravity of the incident.
Abdul’s background added another layer to the story. She reportedly volunteered on Democratic primary campaigns in 2018 for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and State Sen. Julia Salazar. Both politicians have since distanced themselves, with Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign flatly denying she was ever a staffer and condemning her remarks as “appalling.”
Jewish advocacy groups and city residents have voiced outrage, noting that the post was not just reckless but a direct incitement to target children, teachers, and families. Tova Plaut, a Jewish activist and Department of Education employee, called it “evil” and warned that such hate doesn’t end at a threat—it escalates.
Abdul, for her part, has insisted she was only calling for a “verbal attack” on what she described as a “Zionist institution,” but the choice of language, imagery, and platform has put her squarely in the crosshairs of New York law enforcement and the court of public opinion.
