A Massachusetts man was charged with kicking a Muslim airline employee at Kennedy Airport and threatening that President Donald Trump would “get rid of all of you,” the Queens district attorney’s office said on Thursday.
Robin A. Rhodes, 57, had just returned from Aruba and walked into the Delta Sky Lounge on Wednesday evening when he found Rabeeya Khan, an employee who wears a hijab, sitting in her office, according to the DA’s office.
“Are you sleeping? Are you praying? What are you doing?” Rhodes allegedly asked her, before punching the door.
When Khan asked what she did, Rhodes allegedly said she did nothing but he would “kick your [expletive],” and then kicked her right leg.
According to the DA’s office, Khan then fled to a corner of the office, but Rhodes followed, blocking her from leaving. Another employee then tried to intervene, allowing Khan to run out of the office and to the front desk of the lounge.
But Rhodes followed again, allegedly getting onto his knees to imitate praying.
“Islam, ISIS, Trump is here now,” Rhodes allegedly said. “He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kind of people. You will see what happens.”
When police arrested Rhodes, he apparently said: “I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct,” according to the DA’s office.
Rhodes, who lives in Worcester, was charged with a slew of offenses, including third-degree assault as a hate crime, second-degree unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime, and first-degree harassment as a hate crime. Rhodes was awaiting arraignment in Queens Criminal Court on Thursday evening.
If convicted, Rhodes faces up to four years in prison, according to the DA’s office.
