A man in the United States has pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime after breaking into an Islamic student centre at a university in the state of New Jersey.

Jacob Beacher, 24, broke into the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University during the Eid al-Fitr holiday in April and damaged property at the scene, including several religious artefacts, the US Department of Justice said on Thursday.

Beacher also stole a Palestinian flag and a charity box at the centre, the DOJ said.

Video surveillance footage showed Beacher approaching the centre shortly after 2:30am on April 10, before an intruder later determined to be Beacher forcibly entered the centre through its back door, according to court documents.

Beacher was arrested on April 22 and charged with one count of intentional or attempted obstruction of religious practice and one count of making false statements to federal authorities.

“Islamophobic hate crimes have no place in our society today. We will continue to enforce the laws that make it safe for people of all faiths to engage in religious observance, including at educational institutions,”  Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement.

Beacher faces a maximum punishment of three years in prison.

Rights groups in the US and elsewhere have reported a sharp uptick in threats and violence against Muslims, Arabs and Jews since the start of the war in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.