Breaking News in Hate Assault on VA Muslim Army Reservist

We would like to update the community about an important case CAIR has been working on since the weekend.

Yesterday, we called for hate crime charges for an alleged assault on a Virginia Muslim U.S. Army reservist and veteran reportedly attacked by a man who allegedly compared him to those who carried out the Boston Marathon bombings and threatened to kill him.

UPDATE: Ed Dahlberg of Clifton, Va., turned himself in to Fairfax County Police at around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, and was served with a misdemeanor assault charge, according to Fairfax County Police.

Video: Va. Man Accused of Attacking Muslim Cabbie Turns Himself in to Police (CAIR)

The alleged attacker has been charged with a misdemeanor, but we are asking officials to prosecute the case as a felony hate crime. There should be zero tolerance for hate violence in Virginia.

A CAIR news conference yesterday in Washington, D.C., was covered by a number of local and national media outlets. The victim and a CAIR civil rights attorney were interviewed live on CNN.

Video: CAIR Rep on CNN's 'Piers Morgan Live' with Va. Muslim Victim of Bias Attack
Video: CAIR Rep on CNN's Wolf Blitzer with Va. Muslim Army Reservist Assaulted in Bias Attack

CAIR will continue to work on the case. One of our staff attorneys met yesterday with local police. The first court hearing is scheduled for May 24th. We'll keep you posted.

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