Photo of Michael Enright (right) on his Facebook page
A boozed-up bigot who just returned from filming U.S. Marines in Afghanistan used a pocket knife to slash a cabbie - just because the driver was Muslim, police said Wednesday.
Michael Enright, 21, of upstate Brewster, was charged with felony attempted murder as a hate crime - among other crimes - after the sick attack on Ahmed Sharif, 43, Tuesday night.
Enright slashed Sharif across the face, arm and hand after asking the Bangladesh-born cabbie if he was Muslim and then saying 'As-salaam alaikum' - which means 'peace be unto you' in Arabic, cops said.
The suspect also yelled, "Consider this a checkpoint" - an apparent reference to security screening in Afghanistan - as he wildly thrust his knife through the open glass partition at Sharif, said Manhattan Assistant District Attorney James Zaleta.
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In an odd twist, Enright was a volunteer for Intersections International, a Manhattan-based group that promotes peace among different religions. A spokesman confirmed he was filming for the group, which recently threw its support behind the controversial Park 51 mosque project near Ground Zero.
Read more:
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/08/25/2010-08-25_muslim_cab_driver_slashed_by_upstate_new_york_man_because_of_his_religion_police.html#ixzz0xenZhQQpNew York Taxi Worker AllianceNew York cab driver Ahmed H. Sharif, 43, after he was attacked by passenger Michael Enright