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by Laura Gemmett
WATERVLIET, NY (WRGB)- An 18-year-old Afghan national accused of a hate crime in Watervliet is expected in Watervliet City Court.
Watervliet police said Hossein Haidar assaulted his neighbor in an attack motivated by ethnicity.
Police said Haidar was initially arrested and charged with assault and burglary as hate crimes after they believed he was an adult. When Haidar was arraigned on March 3rd, police said his passport suggested he was under 18.
Watervliet police said they involved the Department of Homeland Security and determined the passport was fake.
A spokesperson from Homeland Security told CBS6 that Haidar and his mother gave a fake Afghanistan passport with a different name to avoid him being charged as an adult.
Watervliet police also said the DMV would not provide information for their investigation because of the state’s policy on IDs for undocumented individuals.
Greg Rinckey, founding partner at Tully Rinckey PLLC, said that can complicate investigations.
“It makes it harder when New York State won't share the information that they have because often what happens is someone will produce certain documents to get a driver's license, and then New York State won't share that information with either immigration or sometimes even law enforcement agencies without a federal subpoena or state subpoena,” Rinckey said.
Police said Haidar was initially held on $10,000 bail but has since posted bail.
Police said that on March 1, Haidar forced his way into his neighbor’s home and dragged them outside following an argument the day before about ongoing conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Police said that during the assault, Haidar made explicit derogatory statements about the neighbor’s Pakistani background.
Haidar reportedly came to the U.S. as an Afghan refugee. The Department of Homeland Security said the ICE agency in Malta is monitoring the case closely.
2026 Sinclair, Inc.
