WASHINGTON, May 22: A Sikh, who was recently shot and severely wounded by two white men in Phoenix, Arizona, was attacked because the shooters believed he was a Muslim, police said on Thursday.

Police are investigating the incident as a “hate crime”.

Avtar Singh, a 52-year-old truck driver, had parked his 18-wheeler and was waiting for his son when the two men got out from a red pickup and shouted to him: “Go back to where you belong.” Then they fired at him, in the stomach and thigh, and fled.

The son arrived to find his father bleeding heavily and took him to hospital. He is said to be recovering.

The attackers, who have not been caught yet, did not try to rob Avtar Singh.

This is the second such attack on Sikhs in Arizona after Sept 11 attacks. They are often mistaken to be followers of Osama bin Laden there, because of their turbans and beards. Monday’s attack has revived fears in the community that had been prevalent for several months after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks.

Balbir Singh Sodhi, a gas station owner, in Mesa had been shot dead a couple of days after Sept 11. The alleged killer, Frank Silva Roque, was subsequently arrested and charged, but the trial is still to begin.

The Sikh council issued an appeal to President George Bush on Wednesday, urging him to call upon “fellow Americans to observe tolerance and respect for diversity which are hallmarks of our society”.