Michael Enright Held Without Bail For Slashing Muslim Cab Driver
August 26th, 2010 - 7:58 pm ICT by GDBy Madhuri Dey
New York, Aug 26, (THAINDIAN NEWS) After a Muslim cab driver was brutally attacked by 21-year-old film student Michael Enright for his religion on Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney on Wednesday held the attacker without bail. At the end of a brief arraignment at the Manhattan Criminal Court on Wednesday, Michael Enright was charged with the second-degree attempted murder as a hate crime, a first-degree assault as a hate crime and with criminal possession of weapon by the Manhattan district attorney. Michael Enright has reportedly not entered a plea at the court.
As per a criminal complaint, Michael Enright carried out the attack on 44-year-old Ahmed H. Sharif a Muslim Taxi driver on Tuesday night after boarding the taxi from the corner of Second Avenue and East 24th Street. Michael Enright reportedly asked the driver about his religion and after an initial formal greeting in Arabic, the passenger went on to hurl abuses at Ahmed H. Sharif. Michael Enright however did not stop at the verbal abuse only and saying that “Consider this a checkpoint”, withdrew a Leatherman knife to slash the throat of Mr. Ahmed H. Sharif. Michael Enright allegedly reached out to Ahmed H. Sharif through the opening in the plastic divider and slashed the driver’s throat. Ahmed H. Sharif was also stabbed on face.
Michael Enright had previously volunteered work in Afghanistan for Intersection international, a group that promotes interfaith dialogue between communities. The group had also in the recent past supported the controversial building of mosque and Muslim Community center just two blocks from ground zero. The representative of the Intersection International, Rev. Robert Chase voiced that it is a “tragic” situation. The representative held that the group has been working to “build bridges between folks from different religions” and added that the present turn of events is shocking and sad.
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Tags: attorney michael, criminal complaint, criminal possession, degree assault, different religions, film student, formal greeting, interfaith dialogue, leatherman knife, manhattan criminal court, manhattan district attorney, michael enright, mr ahmed, muslim community center, old film, plastic divider, robert chase, taxi driver, tragic situation, work in afghanistan