Muslim woman set on fire in New York not
targeted due to faith: police
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[September 15, 2016]
By Laila Kearney
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York police
investigating an attack in which a Muslim woman's clothing was set
alight are no longer probing the case as a hate crime after linking the
suspects to similar assaults on non-Muslims, authorities said on
Wednesday.
A man who was part of a group set fire to the 35-year-old woman's
traditional Islamic attire as she window shopped outside a luxury
clothing store in Midtown Manhattan on Saturday, police said in a
statement. The victim quickly patted out the flames and was unharmed.
Police said they initially believed the crime, committed a day before
the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, may have been
prompted by what the woman was wearing.
After further investigation, officers determined that at least three
other women were threatened with fire by the same group of suspects on
Tuesday, police said. Those women were not wearing Muslim clothing.
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![](../images/091516pics/news_h15.jpg)
New York Police released a video of a man, seen in this still image
taken from that video, suspected of setting fire to a
traditionally-dressed Muslim woman as she window shopped on Park
Avenue, in New York, U.S. September 13, 2016. New York Police
Department/Handout via REUTERS
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"The motivation for these crimes is not considered to be
'bias-related' at this time," police said.
No arrests have been made.
(Reporting by Laila Kearney; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Marguerita
Choy)
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