Queens, NY — June 20, 2025 A Jamaica, Queens man is facing serious charges after allegedly assaulting a Muslim woman aboard a subway train in what prosecutors are calling a hate-driven attack. Naved Durrni, 34, was arraigned Thursday and charged with first-degree assault as a hate crime, among other offenses, for a violent incident that left the victim hospitalized with facial fractures.
According to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, the attack occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, June 18, around 4 a.m., as the woman was riding a Queens-bound E train near the intersection of Queens Boulevard and 75th Avenue. Durrni allegedly approached the woman, who was wearing a head covering, and asked if she was Muslim. When the woman confirmed, he reportedly began punching and slapping her, then kicked her in the face with heavy work boots before fleeing the scene.
The woman sustained fractures to both her nasal and orbital bones, along with significant bruising, swelling, and pain. She was treated at a local hospital. Police apprehended Durrni several blocks from the scene shortly after the incident.
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“This was a heinous and unprovoked act of violence targeting someone solely because of her faith,” said DA Katz. “Bigotry, hate and violence against the Muslim community or any community that faces discrimination will be met with serious consequences from my office. Our diversity is our strength and my office will prosecute those who seek to undermine it through hate or violence.”
Durrni, a resident of 106th Avenue in Jamaica, is charged with:
Assault in the first degree as a hate crime
Assault in the first degree
Two counts of assault in the second degree as a hate crime
Two counts of assault in the second degree
Aggravated harassment in the first and second degrees
If convicted of the top charge, Durrni faces up to 25 years in prison. He was remanded by Queens Criminal Court Judge Michael Katz and is scheduled to return to court on June 23.
Assistant District Attorney Michael Brovner, Chief of the DA’s Hate Crimes Bureau, is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.
As with all criminal cases, the charges are accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.