Nearly two weeks after the incident, police have confirmed the identity of and arrested the suspect involved in the death of an elderly Jewish man during an anti-Israel protest. 

Detectives “contacted Loay Alnaji in the City of Moorpark and arrested him for the death of Paul Kessler,” the Ventura County Sheriff’s office announced Thursday morning. The suspect will be booked in the county’s pre-trial detention facility, police said, for involuntary manslaughter, with his bail set at $1 million. 

Kessler, age 69, died November 6 at the Los Angeles area from a “blunt force head injury,” becoming the first person to be killed in an anti-Israeli protest in America following the outbreak of the war at Israel.

The police said Kessler “fell backwards and struck his head on the ground” during a weekend event that involved pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters. 

Other reports, including by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, allege that Kessler was hit on the head with a megaphone. Police have yet to issue more details about whether a megaphone was involved, except to say that the victim’s “injuries on the face could have been caused by the megaphone,” as the Sun has reported.

For nearly two weeks, police had refused to confirm Mr. Alnaji’s identity, despite press allegations that the 50-year old computer science professor at Ventura Community College was the suspect.

“My husband was getting home from Costco when he saw a SWAT team, six cops with rifles and full gear. Their vehicles were not police cars, they were unmarked,” Mr. Alnaji’s neighbor, Milli Revezzo, told DailyMail.com.

In addition to mournings and vigils remembering Kessler, the incident sparked calls for justice and increased security in the area. 

“We all moved here because our community is known for being so welcoming, so safe, so mixed,” Rabbi Ari Averbach told Fox News Digital. “Now we’re questioning: ‘Is it safe?’ ‘Can we live here comfortably?’”

Police say they are still investigating and seeking help from the public.

“Though an arrest has been made, we continue to encourage community members who may have information about this criminal investigation and have yet to come forward,” the police said Thursday morning. 

“Any persons who were driving a vehicle equipped with video recording equipment, such as Teslas, in the area of Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard between 3:00 p.m. and 4 p.m. on November 5th, are encouraged to reach out to detectives,” the police said, or the public can submit footage on the police website.