March 14, 2010 - When I first read this story of a brutal attack on a woman in NY bar, there was no mention of the perpetrator's name or origin. My mind told me to remain neutral and not jump to conclusions, even as my gut was screaming that the attacker would likely turn out to be a Muslim. It gives me no satisfaction to report that my gut was right. The monster accused of viciously beating a nurse in the bathroom of a Hell’s Kitchen bar after she rebuffed him on the dance floor was slapped with beefed up charges of attempted murder at his arraignment in Manhattan criminal court this morning. Mbarek Lafrem, 30—a construction worker from Norwood, Pa—appeared expressionless in a rumpled Yankees jacket and did not utter a word at the hearing. "This case is a vicious and brutal attack," said prosecutor Dan Brody. The Moroccan national told police that he callously attacked her after she tried to push him inside of the women’s restroom. "She was coming toward me, so I grabbed her by the arm. She was trying to push me, so I punched her in the face twice and pushed her back into the stall. She fell into the stall and her head." He was also charged with assault and attempted rape. The victim was found in the bathroom with one pant leg completely off and the other around her ankle, the court papers said. Click below for story.
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