Suspect arrested and charged with hate crimes in alleged attack on Sikh taxi driver at JFK Airport

The alleged victim is a member of the Sikh faith, according to the Sikh Coalition, a New York advocacy group.

The driver was standing at a taxi rank outside Terminal 4 at the airport on January 3 when he was involved in… an oral dispute with 21-year-old Mohamed Hassanain, who then assaulted him, according to the suit filed by the Queens District Attorney’s Office.

Hassanain allegedly punched the victim multiple times in the face and body, according to the indictment. Hassanain told investigators he was at the airport to pick up his girlfriend. “I saw a taxi driver there who cursed at me. I punched him and called him names,” Hassanain said, the indictment said.

During the incident, the driver said Hassanain told him, “You turban, go back to your country,” the indictment reads.

New York Police Department arrested Hassanain on Thursday and he was arraigned before the Queens County Criminal Court on Friday. He is charged with third-degree assault as a hate crime, third-degree assault and second-degree harassment, according to the indictment.

DailyExpertNews has reached out to a lawyer for legal aid for Hassanain, but has heard nothing.

The driver’s turban fell off during the alleged attack and he was taken to hospital with chest and arms pain as a result of the alleged attack, the indictment said.

“For those who are not Sikhs, I cannot put into words what it means to have your turban knocked off – or to see someone else’s turban knocked off,” Simran Jeet Singh, senior fellow of the Sikh Coalition, said in a statement. tweet a day after the alleged incident.

“It’s deeply rooted and heartbreaking and just so disheartening to watch,” the tweet said.

“I am grateful to the law enforcement officers, the Sikh coalition and everyone in the community who have offered their strength during this difficult time,” said the victim, identified only as “Mr. Singh” by the Sikh coalition, in a released statement. Friday by the organization. The group said it wants to help maintain the man’s anonymity.

“No one should experience what I have done, but if they do, I hope they receive the same overwhelming amount of support and prompt, professional action from the authorities,” the statement said.

“We are shocked and also angry, Mr. Singh,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams tweeted Friday. “This is an outrageous attack. We say ‘hate has no home’ in New York City and we live up to that value.”

The United States Department of State for the Office of South and Central Asian Affairs said in a: tweet it was “deeply disturbed” by the incident and that it condemns “any form of hate-based violence”.

According to the prosecutor’s office, Hassanain’s next court hearing is scheduled for March 8.

DailyExpertNews’s Liam Reilly, Laura Ly and Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.