Man Accused of Attacking Muslim Worker at JFK Airport

A Massachusetts man is accused of attacking a Muslim airline employee at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, allegedly kicking and shouting obscenities at the woman and telling her that President Trump "will get rid of all of you," authorities say. The Queens District Attorney's Office said Robin Rhodes was awaiting a connecting flight to Massachusetts after arriving from Aruba Wednesday night when he approached Delta employee Rabeeya Khan, who wears a hijab, while she was sitting in her office, the AP reports. The DA says Rhodes came up to the door and went on a profanity-laced tirade, asking the woman if she was praying. He allegedly punched the door, cursed at her, and kicked her in the leg.

The DA says that when another person tried to calm him down, Rhodes moved away from the door and Khan ran out of the office. Rhodes followed her, got down on his knees and began to bow down in imitation of a Muslim praying, shouted obscenities, and said, "Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium, and France about these kind of people. You see what happens," per the DA. At the time of his arrest, Rhodes allegedly told police, "I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct. I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head." He was charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, menacing, and harassment as hate crimes. (More hate crime stories.)