NEW YORK: Since the beheadings of two American journalists by the Islamic State (IS), Muslims living in Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn have been threatened by extremist hate groups, New York’s media reported on Thursday.

On Wednesday two advocates of Arab civil rights were attacked by a man who shouted anti-Arab epithets and threatened to behead one of them, reports say.

A women interviewed on TV said some miscreants carrying Israeli flags attacked grocery stores belonging to Arabs and threatened them.

On Thursday the New York police charged Brian Boshell with menacing and aggravated harassment as a hate crime and criminal possession of weapon, the New York Daily News reported.

Know more: IS claims beheading of journalist, warns US on Iraq strikes

Linda Sarsour, 34, the director of the Arab-American Association of New York, said that Boshell threatened her and threw a trash can at her and her deputy.

“My deputy director and I were harassed and assaulted by a bigoted drunk who hurled hateful Islamophobic and anti-Arab epithets at us on 5th Avenue in Bay Ridge, (Brooklyn) “Sarsour posted on Facebook.” He said, ‘you are cutting people’s heads off [you prostitute.] I’m going to cut off your head and see how your people will feel, you Arab bitch’ and plenty more after that.”

She said that the police were initially slow to respond but later the “top brass” with the New York City Police Department “stepped up” and the suspect was apprehended, reports say.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2014