Video shows US judge attacked while sentencing man, not for 'anti-Palestinian remarks'

"It was heart-warming to see a young man attack an American judge for speaking out against Palestine," reads Facebook post written in Urdu posted on January 6.

The post shares footage of a man vaulting over a judge's bench and attacking her, as court staff rush to restrain him.

Urdu text superimposed on the video -- which has more than 4,000 views -- says:  "Please share. An American judge attacked for barking about Palestine." 

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Screengrab of the false video

US President Joe Biden has pledged support for Israel following the latest flare-up in violence between Israel and Hamas -- but the conflict has sparked intense debate among American citizens (archived link). 

Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip, launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7 which killed around 1,140 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Militants also seized about 250 hostages during the attacks, and Israel says around 132 remain in Gaza.

Israel responded by vowing to "annihilate" Hamas and its relentless air and ground offensive has killed at least 25,000 people, mostly women and children, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry.

The same video racked up thousands more views on video-sharing platforms Snack Video and TikTok here, here and here.

No war references

A keyword search on Google found a longer version of a video posted on YouTube by US network Court TV (archived link).

The footage of the man attacking the judge can be seen from the 7:01 mark (archived link).

The video's caption identifies the man as Deobra Redden, who appeared before Judge Mary Kay Holthus for sentencing on an attempted battery charge before he lept over the bench towards her.

The video, which runs for over 13 minutes, shows exchanges between Redden, Holthus and the prosecutor before the assault. There is no reference to the Israel-Hamas War at any point in the video.

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Footage of the attack posted by Court TV

Redden asks the judge not to send him to prison as he was "in a better place" with a source of income and a functional support system. When the judge refused his request, he lunged at her. 

Redden's attorney Caesar Almase had told the court he had a history of mental illness, including a diagnosis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (archived link). He had previously been through mental health court twice. 

Other news outlets, including CNN, NBC and The Guardian also covered the assault, which happened in a Nevada courtroom on January 3 (archived links here, here and here).

None of the reports has reported that the conflict was mentioned at any point in the hearing. 

AFP reported that Redden appeared in front of the same judge on January 8 in shackles, restrictive mitts, a rigid mask to prevent him from biting and a hood to prevent him from spitting to be sentenced

He was also charged with a series of charges over his attack on the judge. 

AFP has debunked other misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war here.