Oakland County
Northville man arrested in assault of woman in Virginia, police say
By Charles E. Ramirez, MediaNews Group
A Northville man was arrested Wednesday in Virginia for allegedly assaulting a girl and demeaning her faith, police mentioned.
A nationwide Muslim group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, mentioned the lady is Muslim.
Matthew Vinod Malaikal, 66, was arrested in Manassas, Virginia, in accordance with Prince William County police.
He has but to be arraigned Friday, in accordance with court docket information.
Authorities allege Malaikal attacked a girl within the 10700 block of Sudley Manor Drive in Manassas on September 30 round 11:50 a.m.
In response to a preliminary investigation, Malaikal approached the 51-year-old sufferer after she parked her automotive within the parking zone of a enterprise. The 2 obtained into an argument throughout which Malaikal allegedly used insults and derogatory phrases in opposition to the lady primarily based on her faith, police mentioned.
At one level, Malaikal allegedly poked the lady within the face, leaving noticeable marks, in accordance with investigators.
He additionally grabbed her hand, officers mentioned. Detectives mentioned individuals intervened and the suspect left the world. Officers arrived on scene and the sufferer reported minor accidents, police mentioned.
Police mentioned they launched an investigation, recognized the suspect and obtained an arrest warrant. Officers mentioned this week they’d no court docket date or info on the suspect however anticipated him to be charged with assault and battery with hateful bias.
The crime in Virginia carries a penalty of six months to 5 years in jail.
Officers at Washington DC-based CAIR mentioned they welcomed the arrest and prices in opposition to Malaikal.
“We welcome the choice to pursue a hate crime cost on this disturbing case,” the group mentioned in a press release Thursday. “Nobody, of any religion or background, ought to worry being focused, harassed or attacked as they go about their day by day lives. We thank legislation enforcement authorities for taking this incident critically and name for full accountability below the legislation. We additionally stand in solidarity with the sufferer and all those that have been equally focused by hatred.”
The incident is the most recent hate crime with ties to Michigan and Metro Detroit.
This month, CAIR officers mentioned two mosques within the Metro Detroit space had been threatened by males from different states.
In September, a Dearborn man who terrorized Jewish mother and father and their preschoolers throughout an anti-Semitic tirade exterior Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township was sentenced to almost three years in jail.
Additionally final month, leaders of a Warren mosque mentioned their place of worship had been vandalized because of a doable hate crime.
In March, CAIR launched its 2025 Civil Rights Report, which acknowledged that Islamophobia stays at an all-time excessive throughout the nation. In response to the report, CAIR places of work throughout the nation acquired a complete of 8,658 complaints of discrimination in opposition to Muslims in 2024, the very best quantity ever recorded because the group’s first civil rights report in 1996.
The group mentioned complaints elevated by 7.4% from 8,061 complaints in 2023, indicating a worsening local weather of Islamophobia.
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