Hate crime? Detroit man stabs two people after asking whether they were Muslims

Police said that the suspect attacked the two men at a bus stop without provocation when he didn't like their answer

A man stabbed two people at a bus-stop in Detroit after asking them whether they were Muslim or not, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

According to police, a number of people were standing at a bus stop and talking just outside of Detroit when the suspect, 39-year-old Terrence Lavaron Thomas turned and “asked some of the folks there if they were Muslims.”

His would-be victims, both in their early 50’s, answered him in the negative. At this, and without provocation, the suspect pulled out a folding knife and attacked them.

One suffered five stab wounds while the other was stabbed in the hand as he tried to stop the attack. They were treated for non-life threatening injuries at the hospital before being released.

Police said that while Thomas fled the scene, police soon caught him. They added that two knives, including the one that was used in the attack, along with some marijuana were recovered from him.

Southfield Police Chief Eric Hawkins said “we do know that he was not happy that [the victims] indicated that they were not Muslims.” The police chief added that the suspect had claimed “that he was a Muslim.”

So far, Thomas has been charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder, one count of carrying a dangerous weapon, and one count of possession of a controlled substance. His bail was set at $1 million and a preliminary examination was scheduled for March 4.

Meanwhile, police said that they had contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fpr probing it as a hate crime.