A 36-year-old Scottish tourist wearing traditional Muslim garb had her blouse set on fire in a bizarre incident outside a pricey Fifth Ave. boutique, police sources said Monday.
The victim noticed the sleeve of her blouse was charred and smoldering in the Saturday night attack, just hours before the ceremony marking the 15-year anniversary of 9/11. She was not badly hurt.
But the attacker got away, and the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is trying to determine if the incident was motivated by bias toward Muslims.
The attack happened just after 9 p.m. as the woman was window shopping on Fifth Ave. by Valentino near E. 55th St.
Bigot tried ripping off Muslim women’s hijabs in hateful attack
She felt heat on her arm, a police source said, and realized her blouse had been set on fire.
“She saw (the suspect) pull a lighter away and walk away,” the source said. “He doesn’t say anything.”
The suspect was last seen strutting and swinging his arms along E. 54th St. just minutes after the fire attack. Surveillance footage shows the man was wearing a tank top, pants and a backwards hat — all black.
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, urged a full investigation.
