A US college student who did volunteer work in Afghanistan was charged with slashing a Bangladeshi taxi driver's neck and face in New York after the driver said he was a Muslim.
A criminal complaint alleged Michael Enright uttered an Arabic greeting and told the driver, Consider this a checkpoint, before the brutal attack occurred on Tuesday night inside the yellow cab on Manhattan's East Side. Police said Enright was drunk at the time.
A judge ordered Enright, 21, held without bail on charges of attempted murder and assault as hate crimes and possession of a weapon.
The handcuffed defendant, wearing a polo shirt and shorts, did not enter a plea during the brief court appearance.
Besides a serious neck wound, cabbie Ahmed H. Sharif suffered cuts to his forearms, his face and one hand while trying to fend off Enright, prosecutor James Zeleta said while arguing against bail.
Defence lawyer Jason Martin told the judge his client was an honours student at the School of Visual Arts who lives with his parents in suburban Brewster, New York.
To deny bail, given his background, "I don't think is warranted," Mr Martin argued. The lawyer declined to comment outside court.
Enright volunteered for Intersections International, a group that promotes interfaith dialogue and supported plans for an Islamic centre and mosque two blocks from ground zero.
A group representative, the Reverend Robert Chase, called the situation "tragic".
"We've been working very hard to build bridges between folks from different religions and cultures," Rev Chase said. "This is really shocking and sad for us."
Sharif, a 43-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant who has driven a cab for 15 years, was quoted in a news release from the New York Taxi Workers Alliance as saying the attack left him shaken.
"I feel very sad," he said. With the tension over the mosque, he added, "All drivers should be more careful."
Sharif accepted an invitation from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a staunch supporter of the mosque, to visit City Hall today.
"This attack runs counter to everything that New Yorkers believe no matter what god we pray to," the mayor said in a statement.
Intersections came out in support of the "Ground Zero mosque" project, but Rev Chase said Enright was not involved in that.
Enright faces a maximum eight to 25 years in prison if convicted of the attempted-murder count.