A woman accused of
hitting a fellow passenger and calling her a 'Muslim terrorist' on a
September 11 Spirit flight was arrested
A woman accused of
assaulting a Muslim woman on a Spirit flight was arrested in
Detroit.
The woman is
accused of calling a Black woman a "Muslim terrorist" and hitting
her.
A civil rights
group is calling on local authorities to bring hate crime charges against
the woman.
A Muslim civil
rights group is calling for hate crime charges to be brought against a
woman accused of verbally berating and physically assaulting an
African-American Muslim woman during a September 11 Spirit flight from
Atlanta to Detroit.
The Michigan
chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), is urging
Wayne County authorities to charge a white woman accused of unleashing an
Islamophobic rant against a fellow passenger with a hate crime under the
state's Ethnic Intimidation Statute, the advocacy group said in a press
release.
"On September
11, Aicha Toure, was traveling on Spirit Airlines flight 3807 from
Atlanta to Detroit when a white woman whom she did not know boarded the
plane acting belligerently," CAIR said in a statement.
According to the
organization, Toure is a "visibly Muslim" woman who wears an
Islamic head scarf.
During the flight,
CAIR said the belligerent woman began fighting with minority crew members.
Once the plane landed, the woman reportedly started harassing and
intimidating an older woman who appeared to be of South Asian descent. When
Toure asked the woman to stop cursing at the older woman, she responded by
calling Toure a "Muslim terrorist" and unloading a slew of
profanities, according to CAIR.
"When the
white woman realized Toure, and others were recording her Islamophobic
comments, she allegedly struck Toure with her fist before crew members of
Spirit were able to intervene," the group said.
Wayne County
Airport Authority police confirmed to the Detroit Free Press that the woman
was arrested following the incident and cited for assault and disorderly
conduct.
"It appears
there was a misunderstanding between two women," authorities told the
outlet. "A third woman intervened in an effort to help. The third
woman was assaulted."
Spirit officials
confirmed to The Detroit News that a passenger on the flight "chose to
use appalling language" toward another flier.
"That kind of
language has no place on our planes - or anywhere else - and she is no
longer welcome on any of our flights," the airline told the outlet.
The incident
occured on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
"The alleged
actions of this individual are reprehensible and she clearly targeted
religious and racial minorities for her violent words and actions,"
CAIR Michigan Staff Attorney Amy V. Doukoure said. "Michigan's Ethnic
intimidation law was created to protect people like Ms. Toure from being
assaulted after being called a Muslim terrorist while traveling on the 20th
anniversary of 9/11."
"It is
imperative that Wayne County Prosecutor's office take this hate crime seriously
and ensure that Muslims are safe from hate and violence in all aspects of
their life," she added. Meriden, New Britain
women arrested after disturbance on airplane WINDSOR LOCKS — Two
women face charges after police said they yelled and used vulgar language at
children while on an airplane at Bradley International Airport on Sunday. Kaylene Valentine, 21,
of 525 Crown St., Meriden and Desiree Goffe, 23, of 183 Kelsey St., New Britain,
were both charged with risk of injury to a child and second-degree breach of
peace. State police responded
to Bradley International Airport on Sunday around 12:40 p.m. for a report of a
fight on a JetBlue flight that was arriving from Florida, according to a
police report. Troopers were told by the captain that a fight took place on the
plane. Police identified
Valentine and Goffe and learned they were traveling together. Valentin’s and
Goffe’s seats were reportedly being kicked and tapped by a two-year-old and a
four-year-old, and the women yelled directly at the children, using vulgar
language, the report said. The women’s actions caused the passengers on the
plane to be nervous and scared, the report noted.
Both women were
released on $5,000 bonds and are scheduled to appear in Enfield Superior Court
on Sept. 28.
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