By Patrick Donachie
Police have an arrested a 14-year old in the assault of a Muslim man that took place outside of a Queens Village mosque earlier this month, an attack that the NYPD said was being investigated and classified as a hate crime.
Police were not releasing the suspect’s name because of his age but said that he was being charged with assault as a hate crime.
At about 10:30 p.m. June 1, Mohamed Rasheed Khan, 59, was approached by three males who punched him on his face and head, causing him to fall off his bike, police said. The other two remain at large.
A statement from the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations released after the attack said the assailants did not steal Khan’s wallet, watch or bike during the attack and noted that the three attackers were laughing as they fled.
Khan was taken to Jamaica Hospital and had surgery. He was unable to open his eyes but was beginning to recover, according to a Facebook post on CAIR-NY’s page June 9.
The investigation is still open, and the NYPD is encouraging anyone with additional information to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1 (800)-577-TIPS.
Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdona
