New York student charged with attack on Muslim taxi driver

A college student who did volunteer work in Afghanistan has been charged with slashing the neck and face of a Bangladeshi taxi driver who said he was Muslim.

A criminal complaint alleges Michael Enright uttered an Arabic greeting and told the driver: "Consider this a checkpoint" before the brutal attack occurred on Tuesday night inside the yellow cab on Manhattan's East Side. Police say Enright, 21, was drunk at the time.

Enright is being held on charges of attempted murder and assault as hate crimes, and possession of a weapon. The handcuffed defendant did not enter a plea during the brief court appearance.

In addition to a serious neck wound, cab driver Ahmed Sharif suffered cuts to his forearms, face and one hand while trying to fend off his attacker, prosecutor James Zeleta said while arguing against bail.

Jason Martin, defending, told the judge his client was an honours student at the School of Visual Arts who lived with his parents in suburban Brewster, New York.

Enright volunteered for Intersections International, a group that promotes interfaith dialogue and has supported plans for an Islamic centre and mosque two blocks from Ground Zero. A group representative, the Reverend Robert Chase, called the situation "tragic".

"We've been working very hard to build bridges between folks from different religions and cultures," Chase said. "This is really shocking and sad for us."

Sharif, a 43-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant who has driven a cab for 15 years, was quoted in a news release from the New York Taxi Workers Alliance as saying that the attack had left him shaken.

"I feel very sad," he said. He added that, because of tensions over the mosque, "all drivers should be more careful". He accepted an invitation from New York's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, a supporter of the mosque, to visit City Hall.

"This attack runs counter to everything that New Yorkers believe no matter what God we pray to," the mayor said.

At around 6pm on Tuesday, a man hailed the cab at East 24th Street and Second Avenue, a police spokeswoman said. Sharif said that during the trip his customer asked him whether he was Muslim. When the driver said yes, the customer pulled out a weapon – believed to be a folding tool with a knife blade called a Leatherman – and attacked him.

After the assault, the driver tried to lock the customer inside the cab and drive to a police station, police said. The attacker jumped out of a window, 17 blocks from where he hailed the cab, police said.

An officer noticed the commotion, found Enright slumped on the pavement and arrested him.

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