'Go back to your country, terrorist': Man attacked Middle Eastern restaurant employee with a pipe 'because he looked like Saddam Hussein'

  • Jason Kendall, 52, was arrested on Saturday after a racially charged incident
  • He beat a Middle Eastern restaurant employee with a pipe because he believed the employee was holding a woman hostage inside the restaurant
  • He told police holding women hostage is 'what Arabs do' 
  • He called the victim a terrorist and told him to get out of America 

By Anna Hopkins For Dailymail.com

Published: 22:22 EDT, 12 March 2017 | Updated: 11:08 EDT, 13 March 2017

Jason Kendall, 52, beat a Middle Eastern restaurant employee with a pipe on Saturday in Salem, Oregon 

Jason Kendall, 52, beat a Middle Eastern restaurant employee with a pipe on Saturday in Salem, Oregon 

A racially charged attack has confused and shocked the residents of Salem, Oregon over the weekend.

Jason Kendall, 52,  barged into Al Aqsa Fine Middle Eastern cuisine, which is two blocks from the state's capitol building, around 3pm on Saturday because he thought a woman was being held hostage there.

Kendall then allegedly called a restaurant employee a terrorist, told him to get out of America, then beat him with a metal pipe.

Kendall reportedly started shouting when he first entered the restaurant because of a 'Saddam Hussein looking-guy' inside, referring to the employee.

He said that he thought the woman was being held against her will 'because of a shirt she was wearing,' and later told police that holding women hostage is 'what Arabs do'. 

Video courtesy of KATU 

Kendall reportedly started shouting when he first entered the restaurant because of a 'Saddam Hussein looking-guy' inside, referring to the employee

Kendall reportedly started shouting when he first entered the restaurant because of a 'Saddam Hussein looking-guy' inside, referring to the employee

The other restaurant employees were able to briefly calm him down until he left, but shortly later, he came back brandishing the pipe, the Statesman reported. 

Kendall bizarrely referred to the pipe as his 'horn of Gabriel,' that he was using on his 'warrior's path'. He hit the employee hard enough to cause a large bump on his head.

Kendall bizarrely referred to the pipe as his 'horn of Gabriel,' that he was using on his 'warrior's path'. He hit the employee hard enough to cause a large bump on his head

Kendall bizarrely referred to the pipe as his 'horn of Gabriel,' that he was using on his 'warrior's path'. He hit the employee hard enough to cause a large bump on his head

As well as spewing many offensive expletives at the victim, he said: ''Go back to your country, terrorist ... Get out of America.' 

He was arrested on the charges of second degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and intimidation. His bail was set at $65,000 on Sunday and he is set to reappear in court on Friday.

Second degree assault is a Measure 11 crime and carries a prison sentence of at least 70 months.

Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime. It is one of four incidents of reported racially motivated crimes in the area since Donald Trumps presidential election.

A number of horrific racial attacks have occurred across the nation in recent weeks.

In Kent, Washington, a white man wearing a mask shot a Middle Eastern man in the arm after telling him to 'go back to his own country'.

A man was arrested last week after he shot dead one Indian man and killed another in Kansas City and told them to get out of 'his' country.