A court in the U.S. charged a 23-year-old American woman of committing a hate crime against a Saudi foreign exchange student, The Oregonian reported.
An arrest warrant has been issued on Friday for the defendant, Jasmine Renee Campbell, after she failed to appear at a scheduled session in the Multnomah County Circuit Court.
The Nov. 12 incident unraveled inside a MAX station in Portland while the Saudi woman waited for a train. It saw Campbell approach the Portland State University student from behind and snatch her hijab off. Court documents revealed that the defendant also tried to choke the student with the scarf.
When the Saudi woman managed to push Campbell away, the defendant stripped down naked and rubbed the garment over her breasts and genitals. She also mocked and made derogatory remarks targeting Muslims during the attack.
Campbell did not know the victim of her attack and randomly singled her out.
On Dec. 18, a grand jury indicted Campbell on two counts of second-degree bias crime, attempted strangulation, harassment, and third-degree criminal mischief.
The prosecution in the case presented the court with a probable cause affidavit revealing that Campbell told police "she targeted the student because she wanted to let the woman know that her religion shouldn't define her."
Court documents obtained by The Oregonian show Campbell is listed as both homeless or living at an address in the Portland metro area.
Speaking to FOX 12 Oregon, Campbell said she wasn't trying to hurt anyone and "had too much to drink" on the night of the incident. She added that she suffers from mental illness and missed the case's court session because she had an appointment for treatment.
The Saudi victim was left so traumatized by the incident she no longer wears a hijab. The woman told investigators she hasn't worn the garment after the attack on her because she doesn't feel safe letting the public know of her religion.
Instead, the Saudi woman now wears a knit cap and a scarf to cover her head, court documents stated.
Attacks against hijabis aren't uncommon in the U.S.
Last year, Mai Mohamed, a hijabi Egyptian teacher based in the U.S., was attacked by a woman who went on a racist rant upon encountering her at a parking lot of a Texas supermarket.
The Muslim woman had been filling up her water bottle outside Kroger when the unnamed lady approached her.
The woman called out Mohamed, telling her to "get the f**k back to her country." The vile incident was captured by the teacher and uploaded to Facebook by her friend.
Unfortunately, similar attacks on hijabis are on the rise in the U.S., where violent and hateful incidents against Muslims have multiplied since President Donald Trump ascended to power in 2016.