UPenn student who backed Hamas' deadly terror attack against Israel with hate-filled speech claiming it was 'glorious' 'is arrested for stealing an Israeli flag

A University of Pennsylvania student has been arrested for allegedly stealing an Israeli flag just weeks after praising Hamas for its 'glorious October 7' incursion.

Tara Tarawneh is accused of stealing the flag from the front of a Campus Apartments house near the university's campus last month. She was arrested on November 4 and later charged with theft and receiving stolen property, court documents reveal.

The college junior - who previously described 'feeling so empowered and so happy' after Hamas launched its attack on Israel - was called before the court on November 5 where her bail was set at $0.

Penn's Division of Public Safety (DPS) has reportedly classified the theft as a 'bias incident'. But theft is not classified as a hate crime under Pennsylvania law and cannot be prosecuted as such.

The theft comes as Tarawneh has sparked outrage online over a hate-filled speech she gave at a rally in Philadelphia last month that saw her praise the 'joyful and powerful images which came from the glorious October 7' Hamas attack.

Tarawneh allegedly stole the flag from a house near the Ivy League school's campus on October 28 at 5.15pm.

Police were notified of the theft two hours later and, following an investigation, identified Tarawneh as their suspect, The Daily Pennsylvanian reported.

The student turned herself in on November 4 and the Philadelphia District Attorney's office charged her with theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property. Her arraignment was held the next day.

The case against Tarawneh is currently active and awaiting a status hearing. MailOnline has approached her attorney for comment.

Meanwhile, DPS has reportedly provided 'support services' to the students impacted by the theft and is 'coordinating support' for other individuals who may have been affected.

UPenn confirmed that Tarawneh was a student and facing charges over the incident, but declined the newspaper's request for further comment due to it being a 'criminal matter'.

The alleged theft comes after video emerged purportedly showing Tarawneh praising Hamas for its attack on southern Israel.

The one-minute video, shared by Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres, apparently shows her giving a speech to a large group of people, some of whom are waving Palestinian flags. 

Rallying the crowd, the speaker says: 'Do you guys remember the photos of the kids and men laughing and smiling as they sat on top of the Israeli military jeep captured by our freedom fighters?

'Do you remember that picture? How about the photos of the bulldozers breaking through the deadly border? Do you remember that picture?

'And the several other joyful and powerful images which came from the glorious October 7?

'I want you to picture those in your mind. I want you all to remember how you felt when you saw those images and heard the news.

'I remember feeling so empowered and so happy, so confident that victory was near and so tangible.

The speaker concludes her speech saying, 'Hold that feeling in your hearts... channel it through every action you take... go down to the streets every day and don't ever let them feel like you quietly accept this genocide.' 

Social media users have responded to the clip with outrage, making their feelings known on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

User Merrick Lackner wrote: 'Joyful. Glorious. Exhilarating. I support Israel, but I don't feel any of those adjectives when seeing Gazans die in airstrikes. Sick that anyone could recollect the 7th with such terms.' 

Republicans Against Trump, a conservative group with an audience of 500,000, wrote: 'Disgusting. What are you going to do about it @Penn?'

User Seth Koppel wrote: 'Ashamed of my alma mater.'

Another user wrote: 'She felt happy about an apartheid barrier being torn down. Nowhere did she say she felt happy about dead people.' 

A number of UPenn staff have in recent weeks received targeted anti-Semitic emails threatening violence against members of the university's Jewish community. 

At a trustees meeting on November 3, UPenn President Liz Magil said: 'Antisemitism is resurgent in our society. There have been swastikas and hateful graffiti on our campus — here in our home. 

'There have been chants at rallies, captured on video and widely circulated, that glorify the terrorist atrocities of Hamas, that celebrate and praise the slaughter and kidnapping of innocent people, and that question Israel’s very right to exist. 

'There are other examples from other campuses, and there will be more. It is difficult to fully convey how sickened, and how horrified, and how angry I am. 

'I condemn personally these hateful – hateful – antisemitic acts and words, which are nothing but inhumane. And I assure you that Penn has and will investigate any act of hate on our campus and take full action in accordance with our policies and our laws.'