By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has sought an FBI investigation of a possible bias motive for the stabbing of a Sikh man at Fresno Yosemite International Airport in California.
The Sikh man in his mid-50s was stabbed while waiting in a public area near the Transportation Security Administration terminal Sunday evening, a local newspaper reported citing Fresno Police.
The suspect, who was apprehended by police, is described as a 26-year-old white man. The victim was treated for non-life threatening injuries and then boarded his flight. Police say there were no words exchanged between the two men before the attack.
“We ask local law enforcement authorities and the FBI to probe a possible bias motive in this case,” said Basim Elkarra, executive director of the Sacramento Valley office of CAIR.
“Sikh men who wear beards and turbans as part of their faith are often targeted by bigots who mistake them for Muslims.”
He noted that a Hindu man was assaulted last month in San Jose, California, by a group of men who called him a “terrorist.”
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])