The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the arrest of a New York man for threatening to assault and kill Rep. Ilhan Omar, the first Somali-American Muslim Congresswoman. CAIR-NY also decried the increased Islamophobic environment that has led to ongoing threats to Rep. Omar’s safety.
New York resident Patrick Carlineo was arrested after he placed a call to Rep. Omar’s Washington, DC, office. During the call, Carlineo told a staff member: “Do you work for the Muslim Brotherhood? Why are your working for her, she’s a (expletive) terrorist. I’ll put a bullet in her (expletive) skull.” Carlineo informed FBI agents that he is a “patriot,” that he loves President Trump and hates radical Muslims in government, according to the criminal complaint.
"The political environment, led by an Islamophobe in the White House, has normalized hate speech and emboldened bigots in their actions. The rising threat of Islamophobia and white supremacy must be taken seriously. We are thankful that law enforcement tracked this individual down before he could act on his hatred for Muslims", says CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher.
An unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims, immigrants and members of other minority groups has been reported since the election of Donald Trump as president