12-year-old charged with hate crime for attacking Muslim students in Connecticut

A 12-year-old student in Waterbury, Connecticut, is facing a hate crime charge after allegedly assaulting two Muslim students at a middle school, authorities have confirmed.

The girl, whose identity has not been disclosed due to her age, was issued a juvenile court summons on charges of intimidation based on bigotry and bias in both the first and second degrees.

According to a joint statement from the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office, local police, and city officials, the attack was motivated by the victims’ religion and ethnicity, meeting the legal threshold for a hate crime.

The victims—twin 13-year-old girls—reported being punched, kicked, and having their hijabs forcibly removed in the school’s locker room during a gym period. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says one of the girls suffered facial bruising, while the other sustained an abrasion on her neck after feeling something slide across it.

Their father took them to the hospital, where doctors documented bruises and scrapes on their faces, noses, and necks.

The incident, which occurred during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, has reignited concerns about rising Islamophobia in the United States.

While Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski described the attack as an isolated incident, CAIR contends that the twins had repeatedly faced harassment over their religion and ethnicity.

In the weeks leading up to the attack, students had allegedly mocked the girls by using terms such as "Arab," "Muslim," and "Hijab" while making derogatory gestures. Just days before the assault, the same student now charged in the case reportedly made a threatening gesture by dragging her finger across her neck, CAIR said in a letter to city officials.

One additional student involved in the locker room attack has been referred to a youth diversionary programme instead of facing formal charges.

School and police response

Waterbury Public Schools Interim Superintendent Darren Schwartz acknowledged the attack, calling it “an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring students are safe and respectful of one another.”

Authorities say police initially investigated the March 3 incident as a disturbance or assault, but later reclassified it as a hate crime after the family provided further details.

Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo stated: "Every student deserves to feel secure and respected in their learning environment, and we will continue to work closely with our school partners to uphold that standard."

CAIR has urged officials to take stronger action to prevent religiously motivated violence in schools. Meanwhile, reports of Islamophobia in the US have reached record levels, with CAIR receiving 8,658 complaints of anti-Muslim bias last year—the highest ever recorded.