Muslim woman made up story about being slashed and called a 'terrorist'

A New York woman who was believed to be the victim of a racially-motivated slashing attack admitted to police that she made up the claim, and the wound was actually self-inflicted.

Initial reports indicated that the 20-year-old Muslim woman was slashed in the face by a man who called her a “terrorist” outside Trinity Church in New York City’s Financial District on Thursday afternoon. The woman, who attends a nearby private cosmetology school, was left with a two-inch gash on her left cheek.

NYPD investigators were unable to find witnesses to corroborate the alleged attack. The incident reportedly occurred during rush hour, which normally sees peak pedestrian traffic.

The investigation revealed that the woman had slashed her own left cheek and she recanted her story Thursday evening, the NYPD told The Independent.

She is undergoing a psychological evaluation at Bellevue Hospital, where she also received treatment for the wound.

NYPD were not investigating the incident as a hate crime prior to the woman’s admission.

The incident comes at a time when both slashings and Islamophobic hate crimes have seen an incline in recent months.

In late March, the NYPD launched Operation “Cutting Edge,” an initiative to address the more than 20 per cent rise in apparently random slashings and stabbings across the city since 2015. To help thwart incidences of slashings, NYPD has deployed more officers in subway stations.

New York — and much of the United States — has also seen a rise in anti-Islamic assaults since the 13 November Paris attacks, that left 130 dead, and the 2 December shooting of a San Bernardino, California, social services facility, killing 14.

In January, a 43-year old Muslim man in the Bronx was attacked by two men who reportedly shouted, “ISIS,” as they beat him. The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force investigated the incident.

A Muslim grocery store owner was attacked a month prior by a man who allegedly said, “I’ll kill Muslims,” according to the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.