Jewish women brutally attacked by man shouting 'dirty Muslims'

New York police arrest man on suspicion of hate crime

(REUTERS)

A man has been arrested on suspicion of committing a hate crime in New York after police say he beat and abused a mother and daughter, calling them "dirty Muslims."

The women, who are Jewish, were leaving a subway station at New York's 67th Avenue when they came across a man police say was Dimitrios Zias, 40, who was drunk.

"Go back to your f***ing country you dirty Muslims," Mr Zias is alleged to have said, before spitting in the 37-year-old daughter's face and punching her to the ground.

He then grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back upwards, according to authorities.

When apprehended by police, the attacker apparently didn't understand why he was being arrested. "Is it because I’m rich and white?” he is said to have asked.

Mr Zias was charged with assault as a hate crime. Bail was set at $50,000 and he will next appear in court on 27 September.

New York City police figures released in March showed that hate crimes had risen by 55 per cent on the year before.

Crimes listed included a bomb threat at the Manhattan Anti-Defamation League and swastikas appearing on subways. This came despite an overall drop in crime across the city.