TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — A jury has ruled no hate crime for a Fort Worth man on trial for vandalizing a church. But jurors still convicted Raunaq Alam on Thursday following deliberations that lasted about a couple of hours.
Alam is one of three people charged in Tarrant County for allegedly spray-painting “{profanity} Israel” on the wall of Uncommon Church in Euless, placing pro-Palestinian stickers, and allegedly damaging property. District Attorney Phil Sorrells added a hate-crime enhancement to the criminal mischief charge.
“We respect the jury’s decision. The defendant was held accountable for vandalizing a place of worship, and that accountability matters,” Sorrells said…