New York, April 01: A 12-year-old schoolboy was arrested for a possible hate crime after he attacked a Muslim student and attempted to tear off her religious headscarf at school in New York, authorities said on Thursday.
Police said the boy punched and kicked the 7th-grade student and pulled at her hijab, asking her, “Are you a Muslim?”
The incident on Wednesday at the Berta A. Dreyfus School, a public school in Staten Island, left the girl with a cut lip. It was the fifth incident between the boy and the girl in recent months, police said.
Officials are not releasing the boy’s name because he is a juvenile.
“At about 1 p.m. yesterday, a male student was arrested for assault and aggravated harassment of a female student,” said Margie Feinberg, a spokeswoman for the city’s education department.
“He attempted to take off her headgear but he failed,” Feinberg said.
She added that the boy was also facing disciplinary action, but declined to give further details except to say that New York does not normally expel students.
The police department’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident and deciding whether to classify the alleged attack as a hate crime. Hate crimes typically carry heavier penalties, authorities said.
Because of his age, the boy will answer to the charges in Family Court. A police spokesman declined to comment on the penalty the boy might face if convicted, and was unsure if he was still in custody or had been released.
-Agencies