A tenant accused of slitting the throat of his Manhattan roommate has been charged with murder as a hate crime after saying he was motivated by a dislike of “Spanish people,” police sources said Monday.
Ismail Hosameldin, 34, was due to appear before a judge in Manhattan Supreme Court Monday afternoon, accused of carrying out the May 30 bloodbath inside victim Maximito Polanco’s fifth-floor apartment on Arden St. near Nagle Ave. in Inwood.
Hosameldin was renting a room in Polanco’s place, where he allegedly slashed the 55-year-old’s throat about 4:10 p.m. ET after an argument, cops said. He was charged with the hate crime because he said, “I don’t like Spanish people,” an NYPD source said.
Cops initially took two suspects in for questioning at the scene but cut the second man loose after their focus shifted to Hosameldin. Later on the day of the attack, he was charged by cops with murder and weapon possession.
The source said Hosameldin appears to have mental health issues and has not previously been accused of a hate crime. He has seven prior arrests, including for robbery, with five sealed.
A lawyer for Hosameldin could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.
Luisa Paez, 33, one of Polanco’s next-door neighbors, previously tole the Daily News a strange man had been menacing residents in the days before the slaying, demanding access to their apartments so he could then gain entry to the victim’s unit.
“That guy was asking me to open my door so he can go through my window and go to that window because he had forgot his keys,” Paez said. “I was not opening my door because he was very aggressive.”
