Suspect in Chinatown stabbing not facing hate crime charges

NEW YORK - A Brooklyn man is not currently facing hate crime charges after allegedly stabbing a 36-year-old Asian man in Manhattan's Chinatown section on Thursday evening.  The incident happened at around 6:15 p.m. at Worth Street and Baxter Avenue.

Salman Muflihi is facing charges of second-degree attempted murder, first and second-degree assault, and third-degree criminal possession as a weapon.

As a result of the attack, the victim suffered a punctured liver, major internal bleeding, and doctors had to remove one of his kidneys and his adrenaline gland. He is currently still hospitalized in critical condition and may not survive.

According to the criminal complaint against Muflihi, after stabbing the victim, Muflihi walked into the DA's Office at One Hogan place and told security that he had just "stabbed a guy up the block." During his arrest processing, authorities say Muflihi acknowledged he had stabbed the victim and said that "if he dies, he dies. I don't give a f--k."

"As we do in every case, we are continuing to investigate and may bring additional charges if warranted," ADA Adam Johnson said.

Authorities say Muflihi was arrested previously in September 2019 for third-degree assault and that he also has an open misdemeanor charge for third-degree assault in Brooklyn where he attacked a stranger for no reason in a bodega.

Muflihi is currently being held on $500,000 bail. He is due back in court on March 3.

The incident comes after officials say they are trying to take steps to combat a surge in hate crimes against Asians.

In all of 2019, the NYPD recorded three hate crimes that targeted Asians. In 2020, that number jumped to 29 victims, a nearly 1,000% increase. The NYPD says the majority of incidents in 2020 are classified "coronavirus motivated" meaning the attacker referred to the pandemic in some manner during the attack.