This image provided by Mohammad Alsalti shows artwork he created in honor of Nabra Hassanen, a teenager who was killed in a road rage incident in Fairfax, Va. Her dead body was found ten kilometers away from the scene.
Police say they have arrested a 24-year-old man for setting a fire in a Washington, D.C., fountain on Wednesday morning ― but emphasized that the incident was not a hate crime, as it had no connection to a memorial at the same fountain for a murdered Muslim teen. Police have not identified Hassanen, but her father confirmed she was the victim in Sunday's attack.
STERLING, Va. (AP) - Thousands of mourners attended Wednesday's funeral of a 17-year-old Muslim girl whose beating death, blamed by police on a motorist's road rage, has some people in her community fearing for their safety.
According to the Fairfax County Police Nabra Hassanen was hit numerous times with a baseball bat Sunday by a motorist who drove up to about 15 Muslim teenagers as they walked or bicycled along a road.
Nabra had a trifecta of hated identities: she was Muslim, black, and a woman - all three of which are identity groups that experience heightened marginalisation, discrimination, and violence.
Cops charged Darwin Martinez Torres, 22, in the death. A vigil had been held at the site the night prior.
The All Dulles Area Muslim Society mosque announced in a statement that a funeral prayer service for the 17-year-old will be held Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.
He says "this community will not forget this young lady or her family".
"We want every possible motive there is to be brought on the table, even if there is [only a] 0.5 percent chance that it's a hate crime - we want it on the table", Fariad said.
The girl's family said Torres hit her with a metal baseball bat, then dragged her into his auto and drove off. Officials are now investigating whether the teen was also sexually assaulted, CNN reported.
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Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. told The AP authorities are investigating whether Hassannen was sexually assaulted. He became so enraged after arguing with one teen he drove up on a curb, police said.
But after a string of attacks on Muslims around the world, most recently in London and in Portland, Oregon, some are deeply skeptical.
Chaudry said that when a Muslim commits a crime, officials are quick to brand it an act of terror, but when the perpetrator is not Muslim, cops approach it differently.
Others have shared that view on social media.
Torres has been charged with murder and faces a maximum punishment of life in prison.
Joining the mourners was Lamia Sarver of McLean, who said she does not usually attend ADAMS, but wanted to support the Hassanen family.
"If nobody gave you a compliment, she gave you a compliment. And it wasn't just Muslim youth" but the broader Reston community that she was connected to, he said.
CAIR called on Muslim communities to increase security during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in light of Hassanen's slaying and other recent crimes.
Nabra went missing early Sunday morning while she and a group of teenagers made their way back to a mosque after having breakfast at a nearby restaurant. The Chief assured them we will continue to diligently investigate the case and provide our support.
Although the horrific details of Hassanen's death have led authorities to determine that there was no evidence of a hate crime, the freshly discovered vandalism of Hassanen's memorial site only makes this awful story even worse.
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