QUEENS — A hijab-wearing Delta worker was kicked by a passenger at JFK Airport who yelled "f--k Islam," the Queens District Attorney said.
Robin Rhodes, 57, was in the Delta Sky Club on Wednesday on his way home to Worcester, Massachusetts, from Aruba when he approached the woman while she was in her office.
He asked her, “Are you f--king sleeping? Are you praying? What are you doing?” the DA’s office said.
He then punched the door to her office before threatening to “kick your f--king ass” and kicking her in her right leg, prosecutors said.
►MAP: Tracking Reported Hate Crimes in NYC Since the Election
“The bigotry and hatred that the defendant is accused of manifesting and acting upon have no place in a civilized society — especially in Queens County, the most culturally diverse county in the nation,” Queens DA Richard Brown said in a statement.
“Crimes of hate will never be tolerated here and when they do regrettably occur, those responsible will be brought to justice.”
After kicking the worker, Rhodes blocked her from leaving the office until another person intervened and tried to calm him down.
The victim ran out to lounge’s front desk, but Rhodes followed her and then bowed in imitation of a Muslim prayer while shouting “f--k Islam, f--k ISIS, Trump is here now! He will get rid of all of you,” according to the DA.
Port Authority police arrested Rhodes, who later told them, “I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct. I couldn’t tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head,” the DA's office said.
Rhodes was charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, menacing and harassment, all as hate crimes.
He was expected to be arraigned in Queens Criminal Court Thursday night and there was no immediate information for his lawyer.
Click Below to see DNAinfo's map of reported hate crimes across the city.
