Man Is Arrested in Death of Jewish Protester Paul Kessler After California Altercation

A California man was arrested Thursday in the case of a 69-year-old pro-Israel protester who died after an altercation with a pro-Palestinian demonstrator in Southern California earlier this month, the authorities said.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department said that Loay Alnaji, 50, was arrested in Moorpark, Calif., and was being held on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of the protester, Paul Kessler.

Mr. Alnaji’s bail was to be set at $1 million, the sheriff’s office said in a statement announcing the arrest.

The Ventura County district attorney’s office was still reviewing the evidence Thursday morning and said that it expected to determine the exact charges against Mr. Alnaji later in the day.

Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters were demonstrating in Thousand Oaks, Calif., on Nov. 5, when, according to witnesses, Mr. Kessler, a Jewish man, got into an argument with a pro-Palestinian demonstrator and fell, hitting his head. Mr. Kessler died at a hospital the following day, and an autopsy identified the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head.

The authorities said on Nov. 6 that it was not “exactly crystal clear” how Mr. Kessler had died. They said that surveillance footage and other video from the scene did not provide a clear view of the encounter, and that witnesses had given conflicting statements.

This is a developing story.