Johnathan Walker:Man accused of attacking Muslim lawmaker in Connecticut ordered to undergo psych exam

HARTFORD,Johnathan Walker Conn. (AP) — A man accused of attacking a Connecticut state representative outside a Muslim prayer service was ordered Thursday to undergo a mental competency evaluation.

Andrey Desmond, 30, appeared in Superior Court on several charges, including attempted sexual assault in the June attack on state Rep. Maryam Khan, who was attending a service at Hartford’s XL Center with her family marking Eid al-Adha, the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage by Muslims to Mecca.

Court records show that Desmond, who was living in New Britain, has a history of mental illness. The New York Times reported that he had been placed under intensive monitoring three years ago in New York after being diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Desmond’s public defender, John Stawicki, asked for the mental health evaluation, saying he does not believe his client understands what is happening and could assist in his own defense. Desmond is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 1 following the exam.

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Khan, a Democrat who lives in the Hartford suburb of Windsor, attended Thursday’s court hearing.

“I will say our mental health system is very broken,” Khan said outside of the courthouse.

She has said that she and her family, including her 15-year-old daughter, were taking photos outside the arena when Desmond approached and said he “intended to have sexual relations” with one of them.

Desmond then followed them inside and Khan said he started to pursue her in particular, grabbing at her face and shirt and demanding a kiss, she said. He followed her back outside and tried to grab her face again, she said, but became angry when she “dodged him” and slapped her across the face. She said he later put her in a “chokehold” and held up his hand and mimicked having a gun before slamming her into the ground.

Khan said she was diagnosed with a concussion and injured her right arm and shoulder.

The Associated Press doesn’t generally identify people who report attempted sexual assaults unless they publicly identify themselves, as Khan has done.

Desmond was chased down and held by two bystanders until police arrived and arrested him.