Michael Enright, the 22-year-old college student accused of brutally stabbing a Muslim cab driver over the summer, will be charged with a hate crime. The suspect pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to attempted murder and assault as hate crimes after Enright’s attorneys tried unsuccessfully to get the hate crime charges dropped.

Enright made headlines last summer during the height of the hate-fueled controversy over the city’s decision to allow developers to build an Islamic cultural center in Lower Manhattan. Enright allegedly stabbed cab drive Ahmed Sharif after asking if he was Muslim and saying "consider this a checkpoint."

Enright’s attorneys have argued that the suspect suffered from alcoholism and post traumatic stress disorder after a trip to Afghanistan, reports WNYC.