A University of Louisiana at Lafayette student admitted to police that she made up a story about being beaten, robbed and having her hijab ripped off by two men, one of whom she said was wearing a white “Trump” hat, The Advertiser reported Wednesday.
“During the course of the investigation, the female complainant admitted that she fabricated the story about her physical attack as well as the removal of her hijab and wallet by two white males,” the Lafayette Police Department said in a news release, obtained by the site.
Police have dropped the investigation, according to the site.
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Original story:
A University of Louisiana at Lafayette student was allegedly beaten and had her hijab ripped off in broad daylight during a robbery committed by two men, one of whom she said was allegedly wearing a white “Trump” hat, police and university officials told The Advertiser Wednesday.
The unnamed woman said she was attacked while walking around 11 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to the paper. She was allegedly hit with a metal object and knocked down by two men who exited from a silver vehicle.
An officer with the Lafayette Police Department told the Advertiser that the men “were saying ugly stuff to her,” but did not tell the paper what was said. Her wallet was stolen.
Kareem Attia, president of the Muslim Student Association at UL-Lafayette, told the Washington Post that the attack has had a profound effect on campus, saying that Muslim students are “very integrated” into the campus, which is two-thirds white.
“No one wants this to happen, and it’s hitting home for us,” he told The Washington Post in an interview. “The idea that a person in your community could be targeted just for wearing a headscarf, which is part of our religion, it’s disgusting. It’s very un-American.”
The attack happened on the same day that a Muslim student at San Diego State University was allegedly robbed and may have had her car stolen by two men who made comments about Donald Trump and Muslim people, according to the Post report.
In the California attack, the women said she was walking on campus at 2:30 p.m when two men grabbed her purse and backpack and removed her car keys before fleeing, police told the Post.
While the woman was not injured in the attack, when she reported it and police went to investigate, her car was missing, according to the Post.
University President Elliot Hirshman called the event a hate crime in a statement obtained by the Washington Post.
“We condemn this hateful act and urge all members of our community to join us in condemning such hateful acts,” Hirshman said. “Hate crimes are destructive to the spirit of our campus and we urge all members of our community to stand together in rejecting hate.”
