Christopher Nelson, 36, was arrested by the New York Police Department for harassing an off-duty Muslim police officer while she was dropping off her son to school in Brooklyn.
According to the New York Daily News, Officer Aml Elsokary saw a man pushing and berating her 16-year-old son. When she rushed to rescue him, the assailant said, “ISIS b*tch, I will cut your throat. Go back to your country!”
The incident took place on Ridge Blvd and 67th St in Bay Ridge around 5:30 pm, Elsokary was unarmed during the assault and didn’t identify herself as a police officer.
The accused, Christopher Nelson, also a resident of Bay Ridge, was arrested and charged with second-degree menacing. New York Police Department Hate Crime unit filed a report against Nelson for aggravated harassment to race and religion.
Elsokary was awarded the medal for bravery in 2014 when she charged into a burning building fearlessly to save a young girl and an elderly man. The veteran officer had rushed into the smoke-filled building after hearing the baby cry and used her jacket to open the knob to save the child.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a dinner honouring Elsokary that:
She was a hero long before that remarkable day.
Elsokary had joined the New York Police Department soon after the 9/11 attacks to fight anti-Muslim stigma and strengthen relations between authorities and the Islamic community.
Soon after the incident was reported, Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted and asked to show support for Muslim-American families.
(With inputs from New York Daily News )
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)