Hate Charges for 2 Accused of Attacking an Imam

December 9, 2010
Hate Charges for 2 Accused of Attacking an Imam
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
The New York Times

Two men were charged with hate crimes on Thursday after they attacked a Muslim religious leader on a New York City subway train, the authorities said.

The attack occurred early Wednesday morning on a northbound A train, when one of the men confronted the victim — who was wearing a traditional African hat called a kufi — and harassed him about his clothing and religion, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said in a complaint filed in Criminal Court in Manhattan.

That suspect, Albert Melendez, 30, was quoted as making an ethnic slur and then saying, “I don’t like Muslims.”

A moment later, the train stopped at the Canal Street station, prosecutors said, and Mr. Melendez tried to kick the man as he stepped off the subway car. As the two men struggled, the complaint stated, another man who was with Mr. Melendez — Eddie Crespo, 28 — grabbed the victim and tossed his kufi onto the subway tracks while shouting, “You know, I really don’t like Muslims.”

According to prosecutors, Mr. Melendez then punched the man repeatedly in his face, causing “substantial pain” and “bruising and swelling” to his left eye.

Angel Soto, a lawyer for Mr. Melendez, said in court that “accidental contact” between the men had turned into a fight. He said that Mr. Melendez put out his hand to say he was sorry, and that the victim refused to shake his hand. He also said that Mr. Crespo “actually separated the fight.”

“This was certainly not racially motivated,” Mr. Soto said.

The victim’s name was not released. But the Council on American-Islamic Relations told The Associated Press he was an imam.

Mr. Melendez and Mr. Crespo were charged with robbery and assault as hate crimes.

John Eligon contributed reporting.

SOURCE: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/10/nyregion/10imam.html