|
David Grinblat, 34, was indicted for repeatedly punching a
25-year-old Muslim man in Midtown, while making anti-Muslim
remarks, Bragg said in a statement on Monday. Grinblat could not
immediately be reached for comment. The victim was not
identified in the statement.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
Human rights advocates have warned about rising threats against
American Muslims, Arabs and Jews since the eruption of Israel's
ongoing war in Gaza that followed an attack by Palestinian
Islamist group Hamas on Oct. 7.
KEY QUOTES
"David Grinblat attacked a man because of his perceived religion
and national origin and spewed racist, anti-Muslim words at
him," Bragg said. The incident took place on Aug. 5 and the
suspect was arrested on Aug. 8.
The suspect spat on the victim, called him a "terrorist," said
he wanted "death to Muslims" and punched the victim in the face
several times leading to a cut in his lips along with "redness,
swelling and pain to his face and ear," Bragg added.
The suspect was charged in a New York State Supreme Court
indictment with "two counts of Assault in the Third Degree as a
Hate Crime and one count of Aggravated Harassment in the Second
Degree," Bragg said.
CONTEXT
Other recent alarming U.S. incidents include the fatal stabbing
of a 6-year-old Muslim boy in Illinois last October, the
February stabbing of a Muslim man in Texas, the November
shooting of three Arab college students in Vermont and the
attempted drowning in May of a 3-year-old Muslim girl.
This month, a former Cornell University student was sentenced to
21 months in prison for posting online threats against Jews.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by David
Gregorio)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All
rights reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
