Elham Asaad Buaras

A Connecticut state lawmaker called for an investigation by the Hartford Police Department, saying no one came to the aid of her and her family as they screamed for help during a violent assault following Eid al-Adha prayers.

Officers were called to the XL Centre in downtown Hartford just after 11 a.m. after receiving a report of a man assaulting a woman. They arrived to find the man had been detained by civilian bystanders, and they later arrested him. He was alleged to have tried to prevent Rep Maryam Khan from leaving and assaulted her.

The suspect tried to flee, but another worshipper chased him and held him down, police said. Khan sustained minor injuries and was evaluated by medical personnel at the scene, authorities said.

Speaking at a news conference the following day, Khan, who is the first Muslim member of the Connecticut House, said that despite the presence of police who were doing security checks with metal detectors at the XL Centre, where Eid prayers were held, “no one came to our aid—no security, no police, nobody.”

Khan said she was given no medical attention until she asked for it and felt “that I had to convince them that I was injured.” She said she was later diagnosed with a concussion and has no feeling in her right shoulder or arm. She also faulted the police for not walking her family back to their car to ensure they got there safely.

Farhan Memon, Chair of the Connecticut Council on American-Islamic Relations, also urged local, state, and federal authorities to “investigate a possible bias motive for this attack and to ensure the safety of the Connecticut Muslim community during the ongoing Eid al-Adha celebrations.”

“All too often we have seen American Muslims, or those perceived to be Muslims, targeted by hate because of their attire, race, or ethnicity,” Memon said.

He said that the Eid prayer service at the XL Centre in Hartford was the largest gathering of Muslims in recent years and that it warranted a heightened police presence, noting past attacks against houses of worship and Muslims in the US. He said the Muslim community had to hire two off-duty officers at its own expense.

“Given the size and prominence of the event, more officers should have been present,” Memon said. Governor of Connecticut Ned Lamont tweeted his support for Khan, adding, “It’s disturbing to me that this happened on a holy day meant to be marked with peaceful prayer.”

Andrey Desmond, 30, of New Britain, was first charged with misdemeanour assault, wrongful restraint, breach of peace, and interfering with police and was imprisoned in lieu of $250,000 bond.

On July 17, prosecutors upgraded all charges to felonies, save for interfering with police. Desmond now faces three counts of risk of injury to a child, second-degree assault, third-degree attempted sexual assault, first-degree strangulation.