NYC cab driver's throat slit for "being Muslim"

[Despanan]

This is fucked up:

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/20...e-attacked/?hp

The man charged with the anti-Muslim slashing and stabbing of a cabdriver was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges of second-degree attempted murder as a hate crime, first-degree assault as a hate crime and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

An emergency medical technician said that had the cut been any deeper or longer, the driver would have died, prosecutors said.

Judge ShawnDya L. Simpson ordered the man, Michael Enright, 21, held without bail.

James Zaleta, an assistant district attorney, said in court that Mr. Enright hailed a taxi near 24th Street and Second Avenue on Tuesday evening. Mr. Enright asked the taxi driver, who was from Bangladesh, whether he was Muslim, Mr. Zaleta said.
After the driver said he was, Mr. Enright responded with the Arabic greeting, “Assalamu alaikum,” according to the criminal court complaint.

Then Mr. Enright said, “Consider this a checkpoint,” before pulling out a Leatherman utility knife and slashing the taxi driver’s throat, Mr. Zaleta said. The driver turned and Mr. Enright slashed him in his face and forearms, Mr. Zaleta said.

The driver locked all four doors and drove to 42nd Street, Mr. Zaleta said, but Mr. Enright somehow got out of the car on the way. The driver flagged down a police officer standing on a corner and the officer apprehended Mr. Enright, Mr. Zaleta said.


Ahmed H. Sharif, the cabdriver stabbed by a passenger, at Bellevue Hospital Center.Mr. Enright sliced the driver’s “neck open halfway across his throat,” Mr. Zaleta said.

The knife was not recovered, but a Leatherman pouch was found in the back seat of the taxi, Mr. Zaleta said.

“This is a highly vicious attack on an innocent person based on his religion,” Mr. Zaleta said.

If convicted of the top charge, Mr. Enright faces up to 25 years in prison.

Jason A. Martin, Mr. Enright’s lawyer, said his client lived with his parents and was an honor student at the School of Visual Arts, where he is a senior.

Mr. Enright is a volunteer with Intersections International, a nonprofit that works to promote cross-cultural understanding and has spoken out in favor of the proposed Islamic cultural center near ground zero. Mr. Enright, who shuffled into court with a collared T-shirt, cargo shorts and shackles around his ankles, has also worked with veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, Mr. Martin said.

“He’s terrified,” Mr. Martin said of his client. “He’s shocked at the allegations. He’s just trying to cope with it right now.”

Joan Illuzzi-Orbon, the chief of a new hate crimes unit created by Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney, was overseeing the investigation into the case.

Mr. Enright’s father, who was in court for the arraignment, declined to comment.

I dunno, people are saying this is a result of Anti-Muslim flames being stirred up by Foxnews and the like but...DAMN.

[HavelockV]

What a ghastly and senseless attack. I am quite glad that the driver survived. As for the assailant, it is most curious that he appears to be a strong advocate for tolerance and peace between cultures, in light of his alleged crime.

[Saya]

I'm glad he's going to make it, that's fucking brutal. And yeah, I'm curious as to his motivation, that is really strange.

[OnyxBat]

That guy is such a fucking animal, I would have blown up the guys head if I were the driver. ( usally they have guns hidden in the taxi)

[Despanan]

Originally Posted by Saya

I'm glad he's going to make it, that's fucking brutal. And yeah, I'm curious as to his motivation, that is really strange.

An ex-military friend of mine speculated that it might have been PTSD.

Looking at the guy's picture, he appears to be a marshmello, and he had recently returned from a trip to Afganistan (where he had shot a documentary on US Marines)

Apparently he was also shit-faced drunk when he attacked the guy.

Judging by how the attack was carried out, with homeboy experiencing a total personality shift and then saying "Assalamu alaikum...consider this a checkpoint" followed by a totally unprovoked attack, it's likely that he may have snapped as a result of some trauma he endured overseas.

of course without more detail, it's all hearsay.