Report: Subway Employee Cited After Telling Muslim Woman To 'Go Back To Your Country'

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A Subway restaurant worker in southern Minnesota was cited for disorderly conduct last weekend after he reportedly told a Muslim woman to "go back to your country" and walked toward her with a knife.

Andrew Benning, 33, of Rochester, was cited for a misdemeanor in connection to the Sunday incident, according to the Rochester City Attorney's Office. He is slated to appear in court next month.

Sahan Journal spoke to the woman, who said she was at the restaurant, located inside a Walmart in Rochester, with a friend and their 11 children, all younger than 13.

She told the publication that Benning became angry mid-order and told her to "go wash your dirty Muslim hands." The woman asked to see the manager, at which point Benning approached the woman with a knife in his hand.

The situation was diffused when two Walmart employees intervened.

As noted in the Sahan Journal report, the "go back" phrase was tweeted last month by President Donald Trump, who directed the attack at the four Democratic congresswomen of "the squad," one of which is Rep. Ilhan Omar, who represents the Minneapolis area.

Shortly after the "go back" tweet, Trump's supports chanted "Send her back, send her back!" at a rally in North Carolina as Trump criticized Omar, who was born in Somalia. Trump did nothing to stop the chant, although he distanced himself from it the next day.

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