Nadya Agrawal
The onlookers helped bring the attacker to justice.
Sarker Haque, 53, a store owner from Astoria, Queens, was beaten in broad daylight on Saturday by a man who reportedly told him, “I’ll kill Muslims.”
A customer who did not wish to be identified witnessed the assault and rushed forward and pinned down the attacker, a man identified later as Piro Kolvani. Another customer called the police, who arrived and arrested Kolvani.
Haque was rushed to Mount Sinnai hospital to receive treatment for his dislocated hand, bruises and bleeding.
Because of what Kolvani said during the assault, the NYPD is investigating the case as a hate crime.
In the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks on Nov. 13, hate crimes against Muslims are on the rise. The Huffington Post has compiled a list of at least 52 incidents of Islamophobia and assaults against Muslims and mosques in North America since then.
