New York: A Massachusetts man who prosecutors said yelled that President Donald Trump "will get rid of all of you" after assaulting a female Muslim employee at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport faces nine hate crime charges.
Robin Rhodes, 57, of Worcester attacked Rabeeya Khan, who was wearing a hijab, or head scarf, while she was working at Delta Airlines' Sky Lounge on Wednesday evening, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement on Thursday.
Rhodes, who was waiting for a connecting flight home after arriving from Aruba, approached the door of the office where Khan was working and said, "Are you sleeping? Are you praying? What are you doing?"
He punched the door, which struck Khan's chair, and then threatened her and kicked her in the right leg, according to Brown's statement.
Khan tried to flee, but Rhodes blocked her until a passerby stopped and attempted to calm him down, the statement said.
She was then able run out of the office. Rhodes followed her to the lounge's front desk, where he got down on his knees and began to bow in imitation of a Muslim praying, prosecutors said.
"Trump is here now," Rhodes shouted, according to Brown's statement. "He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kind of people. You will see what happens."
According to the statement, Khan suffered pain in her right leg and was afraid Rhodes would hurt her more.
Delta spokesman Anthony Black said Khan worked for an Israeli company that provides services to the airline, which had reached out to her employer to offer support.
In a statement, the airline said: "People who are violent or exhibit bullying behavior are not welcome."
Rhodes is due to be arraigned in Queens Criminal Court, where he will face nine hate crime charges, including third-degree assault, second-degree unlawful imprisonment and first-degree harassment. If convicted, he faces up to four years in prison.
An official at Brown's office said contact details for Rhodes' lawyer were not immediately available.
