Two men spray painted ‘Free Gaza’ on Israeli flag at suburban grocery store, authorities say

Two men have been charged with hate crimes for allegedly painting “Free Gaza” on an Israeli flag at a grocery store in west suburban Bloomingdale, the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office announced Thursday.

Tabshir Rizvi, 23, of Bloomingdale, and Mohammed Faroun, 22, of Hoffman Estates, are accused of grabbing a can of red spray paint from the Woodman’s Food Market on June 24 just before 11:30 p.m., and then writing “FREE GAZA” on an Israeli flag in the international food aisle, the office said in a news release. The men then left the store, officials said.

Faroun turned himself in to authorities on Tuesday, and Rizvi turned himself in Wednesday afternoon, authorities said. Both were released on personal recognizance.

They’ve been charged with two felony counts of hate crime and misdemeanor charges of criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct, according to the news release.

“I find the charges against these two men extremely disturbing,” State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said. “Hate crimes, such as alleged in this case, not only affect the intended target, but can also have a devastating effect on entire communities. As I have said before, DuPage County prides itself on being an extremely welcoming community to all and we will not tolerate any type of behavior based on hatred or prejudice.”

Arraignment for the men is set for Aug. 13.

rjohnson@chicagotribune.com