Police: Reported crime against woman in Muslim headscarf was a hoax

As usual

A young Muslim woman claimed she was attacked and robbed of her headscarf and wallet by two men, one of whom wore a Trump hat, but police are now saying it was a hoax. The attack supposedly took place in Louisiana where the woman is a student. Here’s how NBC News initially reported it:

The first police reports started trickling in within 10 hours of Donald Trump’s victory speech.

A Muslim student from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette reported being attacked by two men on Wednesday morning. The victim told investigators that one wore a white “TRUMP” hat while they hit her with a metal object and shouted obscenities as she fell to the ground. University police say the suspects fled with the woman’s wallet and hijab.

This story really checks all the boxes. It took place in the south. It appeared to involve obvious bigotry by the thieves. And, of course, there’s a connection to Trump. The ACLU of Louisiana quickly put out a statement condemning the attack:

The ACLU of Louisiana is outraged at the news of a young Muslim woman being assaulted and robbed of her hijab in Lafayette yesterday morning. The report that her attackers also shouted slurs and wore Donald Trump clothing is especially troubling in light of Mr. Trump’s frequent use of anti-Muslim rhetoric on the campaign trail.

Only it never happened as the AP reports:

A Louisiana college student has acknowledged she fabricated a report that she was assaulted and robbed of her wallet and Muslim headscarf by two men, one of whom she described as wearing a white “Trump” hat, police said Thursday.

The Lafayette Police Department said in a statement that it is no longer investigating the 18-year-old woman’s claims, which were made within hours of Donald Trump’s presidential victory.

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