| This is the film student who supported the Ground Zero mosque, and had recently returned from an embed with a U.S. Marine unit in Afghanistan (see here for more background on Mr. Enright). |
Michael Enright, the man charged with stabbing a taxi driver in an alleged anti-Muslim attack, accused police officers the night of his arrest of religious persecution and claimed he had served in the military.
Enright also told police officers he acted in self defense
| Another lie. That makes three. |
on August 24, when he allegedly stabbed Ahmed Sharif after first asking if the cab driver was Muslim.
The 21-year-old film student was formally indicted by a grand jury and arraigned in New York Supreme Court on Wednesday, He is charged with attempted murder in the second degree as a hate crime, as well as first degree assault as a hate crime.
Enright pleaded not guilty.
In a series of comments the police attribute to Enright in a court document, he is quoted as speaking in Arabic, calling himself a patriot and claiming to have been in the military.
| Five -- the military one. He apparently spoke at least a little Arabic or one of the Afghan languages, and we have no way of knowing whether or not he's a patriot. |
He also called one police officer a "coward," according to the court document.
| Opinion, not lie, although definitely stupid to say while being arrested. |
"What ya going to do? Beat me up?" Enright is alleged to have asked inside a police car after his arrest. "You are a stupid broad. You allow them to blow up buildings in this country."
| "Stupid broad" is an opinion, albeit no probably wrong. But allowing to blow up buildings is lie number six. |
Enright allegedly told an officer he had been drinking scotch
| Probably true, and his blood or breath alcohol level was hopefully tested to verify. |
and said he was being "persecuted" for being Irish Catholic.
He later claimed he was Jewish and added, "You are going to ruin the entire Jewish race by locking me up."
| Lies number eight and nine. The entire Jewish race is unmoved by the arrest of the guilty. In fact, since they worship a god of justice and mercy, the entire Jewish race would no doubt be pleased by his arrest, were they all aware of it. |
Judge Richard Carruthers decided Enright would remain in custody until he was deemed psychologically fit by a doctor. The judge said he would revisit bail if Enright was given medical clearance.
| Well, then. Either way this will prove amusing, although possibly not for Mr. Enright. |
At the hearing Wednesday, Enright's attorney said he is filing a motion to obtain copies of Enright's notebooks that remain in police custody. The attorney, Lawrence Fisher, declined to comment after the hearing.
Enright is accused of slashing the throat and face of Sharif, a 43-year-old cab driver, after yelling an Arabic greeting and then saying, "Consider this a checkpoint." Sharif's throat injury required 15 stitches.
| A very complicated situation for those who originally claimed an Islamophobic attack: had the slashes been a little longer or deeper, Mr. Sharif would have died too quickly to seek help. Also, Mr. Sharif was against the Ground Zero mosque that Mr. Enright was working to support. |
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