DOJ: Man pleads guilty after damaging Chabad-Lubavitch HQ entrance

Federal prosecutors say Dan Sohail pleaded guilty on May 13, 2026, in Brooklyn after repeatedly driving a vehicle into the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters entrance on Eastern Parkway on Jan. 28, 2026. DOJ said the conduct targeted religious liberty and the “peace of worship.”

What prosecutors say Sohail did

According to court filings and statements at the plea hearing, prosecutors said Sohail arrived on the evening of Jan. 28, 2026, while the headquarters was hosting an event. He exited his vehicle, moved barriers set up to protect the building, and then gestured for congregants to move away.

Prosecutors said Sohail then drove his car into the building’s side entrance. They said he reversed and accelerated into the entrance four additional times, knocking the entrance door off its hinges.

How DOJ framed the case under religious liberty

In announcing the guilty plea, DOJ tied the case to federal efforts to protect the ability of worshippers to gather safely. The government described the conduct as a targeted attack on religious liberty and the “peace of worship.”

Penalties and what’s next

DOJ said Sohail faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison and mandatory restitution. As of the plea, reporting said Judge Eric N. Vitaliano had not set a sentencing date.

For readers nationwide, the next concrete steps are sentencing and the court-ordered restitution/damage amounts that become final during that phase of the case.

ADL’s background on attacks on synagogues is one way to understand the broader environment in which communities and federal prosecutors track security, accountability, and religious-property protection.

Sources

• DOJ Office of Public Affairs — press release (July 22, 2026 update) on the guilty plea
• WTOP News (Associated Press) — reporting on the guilty plea
• ADL background — “A Decade of Attacks on Synagogues Worldwide” (context)