New York woman attacked two Muslims, babies in apparent hate crime

Emirjeta Xhelili, 32, allegedly tried to rip the hijab from the women's heads during the attack in Brooklyn

A Brooklyn woman launched a sickening attack on two Muslim women pushing their babies in strollers — punching them in the face and trying to pull off their hijabs, according to CNN.



Emirjeta Xhelili, 32, hurled Islamophobic insults as she pounced on the two victims on Thursday, authorities said. “Get the f**k out of here. Get the f**k out of America, bitc**s,” Xhelili reportedly yelled at the pair, according to court documents.

As she punched the Muslim women in the face and kicked them in their legs, she tried to rip the hijab off their heads, police said. “This is America — you shouldn’t be different from us,” she yelled. Fortunately, the victims were not badly hurt.

She also attacked their children, pushing one stroller to the ground and rattling the other while two infants sat inside, according to court documents. The 11-month-old and the 15-month-old, along with their mothers, were not seriously injured.



“She didn’t even care for the well-being of the babies — that’s how serious this hate crime is,” Assistant District Attorney Kelli Muse said at the arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court.

Police arrested Xhelili shortly after the incident when the victims pointed her out a few blocks away. She continued to taunt them in front of the authorities while in custody, “You guys don’t belong here.”

In response to the heinous crime, the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic relations urged local mosques and Islamic institutions to increase security, saying the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks may be used as “an excuse to attack American Muslims.”

This article originally appeared on CNN.