AhlulBayt News Agency: On Saturday evening, University of South Florida Police announced that they had identified a third suspect in the harassment incident. Police said Ricardo Yepez, 28, of Tampa, faces charges of disturbing schools and religious assemblies, disorderly conduct, and disrupting lawful gatherings. Yepez has no affiliation with USF.
Abu Tahir recalled hearing footsteps around him just minutes into the prayer.
At first, he thought it was another student joining. Tahir and nearly a dozen members of USF’s Muslim Student Association were gathered on the roof of a campus parking garage for dawn prayer.
He then noticed more movement and saw at least three men shouting insults and mocking the students, he said at a Friday press conference.
“The morning after, when I rewatched the videos and heard from families and loved ones,” Tahir said, “I had to relive the entire ordeal again.”
Two days later, after the incident spread widely on social media, local officials, faith leaders, and law enforcement gathered at the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay Area to denounce the harassment and show support for the Muslim students.
USF police announced Friday that two men, Christopher Svochak, 40, of Waco, Texas, and Richard Penskoski, 49, of Canyon, Oklahoma, were charged with one felony and two misdemeanors.
The charges include disturbing schools and religious assemblies, disorderly conduct, and disrupting lawful gatherings.
Police confirmed the men have no ties to USF and issued trespass orders to bar them from returning to campus.
The investigation remains ongoing as police work to identify a third suspect seen in the video.
The group “Warriors for Christ,” labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, livestreamed the harassment on YouTube.
USF released a statement on social media affirming that it does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or hateful expression based on religion.
Malak Albustami, president of USF’s Muslim Student Association, said no university staff or security were present to intervene during the harassment.
“To the USF administration, stand with us,” Albustami urged. “Show us that we matter. It is your duty to protect all students equally and ensure our safety.”
The university later announced that, “out of an abundance of caution,” it would increase patrols and police presence on campus and at upcoming events.
Tahir described how the perpetrators insulted the students, spat on the ground, and accused them of praying to the devil. He wondered whether they should break the prayer.
Because of the nature of prayer, the students did not move or turn until it was finished, he explained.
“They walked so close to our heads during bowing that we feared they might stomp on us,” Tahir said. “They shoved cameras inches from our faces.”
After the prayer, Tahir said the men mocked them with pieces of bacon, forbidden in Islam.
“All the while, we wondered if they were armed or intended to harm us,” Tahir said. “These were grown men, twice our age, towering over us.”
In one video clip, a perpetrator claimed the students had no right to be in the country.
“They hate America, they hate American values, they hate free speech,” he said in a selfie video. “They want to take over.”
Tahir emphasized that although he may look different, he was born and raised in Tampa and has always practiced his faith in peace.
“I am truly terrified for the America my children may grow up in if this continues,” he said.
Hillsborough County commissioners Harry Cohen and Gwen Myers condemned the harassment. Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer of the Sheriff’s Office said they will ensure safe gatherings and prayers. He noted the sheriff’s office offered help, but USF police have not requested it.
USF stated that it expects to refer the perpetrators to the State Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Earlier this week, USF’s Muslim Student Association submitted demands to the administration, calling for preventative safety measures, a designated prayer space, protections for Muslim students, and meetings with leadership.
They also requested a public statement explicitly rejecting Islamophobic harassment. While USF’s statement did not mention Muslim students specifically, President Rhea Law later condemned “Islamophobia, antisemitism, and all other hateful conduct targeting individuals based on religion, ancestry, or heritage.”
Maurer clarified that while free speech is protected under the First Amendment, creating a hostile environment where people feel unsafe is not.
Ahmed Bedier, activist and president of United Voices for America, said harassment of one faith group is harassment of all.
“It would be unacceptable for Christians, Jews, or any community of faith—or no faith—to be intimidated while worshiping,” he said.
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