Muslim Woman Kicked And Called 'Terrorist' In Brooklyn, NYPD Says

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, NY — A Muslim woman was kicked, spat on and punched by a group of teenagers who called her a "terrorist" and told her to "go back to your country" inside a Brooklyn Heights Panera Bread, according to police and the victim.

Souad Kirama, 51, was having coffee with a friend inside the Panera Bread at 345 Adams St. on Tuesday at about 5 p.m. when a group of about 11 teenagers started to scream and throw themselves at the door, she said in a Facebook Live video. When Kirama asked them to be quiet, the group started to attack her.

"I was viciously attacked by teenagers," Kirama said through tears in the Facebook Live video she posted after the attack. "They were calling me a terrorist and they attacked me."

The teenagers called Kirama a "terrorist" and told her to "go back to your country," according to police and Kirama. They also tried to steal her phone and handbag and her friend's phone who tried to defend her, she said.

The store was filled with people during the incident — including some sitting right next to her — who said and did nothing as the teenagers attacked her, according to the video.

"Customers were sitting there one-inch away from all this vicious attack and said nothing and did nothing," she said. "They were just having their coffee like nothing is happening."

A spokesman for the NYPD said the attack was currently under investigation by agency's Hate Crime Unit.

"We are grateful that the NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force has been so responsive to the Muslim community," said Albert Fox Cahn, legal director for the New York chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations, in a statement.

"It is intolerable to see so many New Yorkers do nothing in the face of this sort of hatred. At this moment, when Muslim New Yorkers are enduring a historic surge in hate crimes, we must all stand up when we see our neighbors being attacked."

Kirama's Facebook Live video garnered more than 100,000 views. She could not be reached for comment.

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