In the middle of a press conference Wednesday about his hate crime case, Tarrant County pro-Palestine activist Raunaq Alam was ordered to turn himself in for a new charge of aggravated perjury, his lawyer said.

Alam was arrested for spray painting “F*** Israel” on a church in Euless last year. Tarrant County prosecutors said the vandalism amounted to a hate crime, motivated by anti-Israel and anti-Jewish bias. His defense team argued Alam was making a political statement against Israel’s war in Gaza, and criticism of Israel is not the same as hatred of Jews.

At his trial earlier this month, a jury found Alam guilty of felony criminal mischief but rejected the hate crime accusation, which could have carried up to 10 years in prison. Instead, he was sentenced to five years’ probation . J

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