Muslim family claims man pointed gun at them, made threats

AFFTON, MO (KTRK) -- A Muslim family says a man made threats and pointed a gun at them as they looked at a rental home in Missouri. Now, the family says they want him to be prosecuted for a hate crime.

Rabie Ayoub told local station KTVI he, his wife and four children were looking for a house to rent Sunday when they say a man started yelling at them and pointed a gun at them.

His wife, Marway Abulhussein, said, "I was so scared and I looked at that guy and that place and I was thinking, 'Where is he going to shoot first? Which one of us is going to get shot first?'"

The family shot cell phone video after police arrived.

The family says the man shouted, "You Muslim? All of you should die".

A photo shows him holding a gun on his porch. Police say he told the family the state allows you to carry a gun and shoot you. The family was terrified and called 911.

Ayoub said, "We were on the phone with 911 and he went inside the house and grabbed the gun and we started screaming."

They say the man then pointed the gun at the car with Ayoubs' four children inside, saying you, your wife, and kids have to die. The Ayoubs claim he took a picture of their license plate, vowing to hunt them down.

The family recorded as police led the man out of the house in handcuffs.

Ayoub and his wife were joined by members of St Louis Muslim community. They claim their children are having nightmares about getting shot and struggling to understand why this could happen here.

Abulhussein said, "Just because I had the cover on, he said, 'You are all Muslim. You're going to have to die just because I had the cover on my head. I'm just a regular person."