Columbus Police Will Not Investigate Rahma Warsame's Attack As a Hate Crime

DIASPORA—The Columbus, Ohio police division have determined that they will not investigate the brutal attack of a Somali-American woman, Rahma Warsame, as a hate crime, despite intense urging from local activist group Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

CAIR released a statement over the weekend, reporting Warsame's assault, in which she sustained several injuries. The group urged that the incident be investigated as a hate crime, as it was believed to have occurred after Warsmae stepped in to defend a fellow Muslim woman who was being racially harassed by a white supremacist. There was no arrest made at the time.

Yesterday, the Columbus police department released a statement in which they cited a lack  of sufficient evidence and conflicting stories, stating that officers responded to reports of child abuse and a possible kidnapping on Saturday.

According to the police report, "there is no evidence at this time suggesting that the incident involved any type of bias which would constitute the incident being tried as a hate crime."

6/5/17 NEWS RELEASE - 2800 PINELLAS COURT. #CPD pic.twitter.com/1JrXIl4zOr

— Columbus Ohio Police (@ColumbusPolice) June 5, 2017