A man, previously arrested for a series of anti-Muslim hate crimes, was apprehended again this week for allegedly assaulting another Muslim woman on a Queens train.
Naved Durrni, 34, reportedly attacked a 55-year-old woman wearing a hijab on an E-train bound for Jamaica early Wednesday, around 4 AM. Witnesses say he confronted her with, “Where did you come from? Are there any Muslims?” as indicated in the legal charges.
When she replied that she was Muslim, Durrni began punching her repeatedly, hitting her face, head, and neck, and even kicked her in the face, according to court documents.
The victim sustained injuries, including fractures to her nasal and orbital bones, and had to be treated at a local hospital for her bruises and swelling.
Meanwhile, witnesses noted that Durrni was wearing a black Mets cap, a black durag, a black jacket over a red shirt, black pants with a white belt, and black Timberland boots before police caught him a few blocks away.
He now faces charges of assault as a hate crime and aggravated harassment. At his arrest on Thursday morning, Judge Michael Katz ordered him to be held without bail.
This isn’t Durrni’s first encounter with the law; he has a history of six prior arrests. In mid-2021, he was linked to multiple random attacks against Muslim victims in Queens, as authorities have pointed out.
For instance, he was reported to have assaulted a couple on Liberty Avenue, where he punched a 31-year-old man and tugged at a 24-year-old woman’s hijab, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office. He allegedly made derogatory comments during that incident.
In another attack, he approached another couple on Inwood Street while shouting similar anti-Muslim statements, resulting in serious injury to a 56-year-old woman’s face and head.
Authorities also stated that he slammed a 38-year-old woman to the ground and threatened her with a knife when she attempted to call 911.
Initially set for a psychiatric evaluation after his earlier hate crime arrests, Durrni was released for reasons not currently known, although records show he was convicted in 2022 for aggravated harassment.
He is scheduled to appear in court again on Monday for this latest case.
