Two Jewish students were brutally attacked on the University of Pittsburgh campus late Friday in what authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime. The incident took place as the students were walking on the final day of the first week of classes near the university's renowned Cathedral of Learning. The assailant, identified as 52-year-old Jarrett Buba, was apprehended by campus police shortly after the assault.

Buba, who resided in the nearby Oakland neighborhood, was wearing a keffiyeh, a checkered scarf commonly associated with Palestinians, during the attack. University officials have confirmed that he had no known affiliation with the school. Surveillance footage corroborated the students' account of the incident, capturing the moment Buba ran across the street and attacked them from behind at around 6 p.m.

The students, who were both wearing yarmulkes, stated that they had made eye contact with the assailant but continued walking. Buba, however, pursued them and launched his assault, leading to a physical confrontation in which the students managed to bring him to the ground. They then waited for campus police to arrive at the scene.

The victims, whose identities have been withheld, sustained injuries during the "appalling" attack. One student suffered cuts on his face, while the other had cuts on his neck. One of them was taken to a local hospital and later discharged. University officials have condemned the incident and expressed their support for the affected students.

The attack unfolded in an area that had witnessed pro-Palestinian protests earlier this year, as demonstrators called for the university to divest from Israel in relation to the conflict in Gaza. Pittsburgh's FBI field office is now examining the assault as a possible hate crime. Buba faces charges of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and harassment, among others.

Pittsburgh University leaders have reached out to the Hillel University Center and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh in the aftermath of the assault. This incident resonates deeply in the community, occurring within two miles of the Tree of Life Synagogue, where a mass shooting in 2018 perpetrated by Robert Bowers claimed the lives of 11 people in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.

Counseling services have been made available to the university community, and officials have assured that there is no present threat to the public. In a statement, university authorities emphasized their intolerance for acts of violence and antisemitism, highlighting the ongoing investigation and the collaboration between local and federal law enforcement agencies to ensure justice is served.